Chapter 7 : Lost in Lust

Tahir kissed me again, then led me out of the dining room. My heart was thundering in my chest as I walked with him. I hoped that my hands weren’t sweaty. The desire I felt for him was threatening to overwhelm me from just a few kisses.

I’d never felt like this before. It was almost frightening. The logical part of my mind was screaming at me to leave. To make an excuse or just tell him that I’ve changed my mind and find Ziv to drive me back to town.

I wouldn’t though. I couldn’t. Even before I’d met Tahir, I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head. It was as though I was bewitched by the sight of him. Now that he’d touched me, I wanted nothing more than to feel more of him.

We went back down the hallway to the staircase across from the front door. I followed him up the stairs knowing that there was a bed at the end of this walk and that I was going to find myself pinned to it. Was this chemistry between us normal? Had I been missing out on this for all of the years I was dating Manny? Or was there something more to this?

It didn’t feel normal. It felt like I’d been waiting for Tahir my entire life and I hadn’t realized it. Now that I was with him, my body knew what to do regardless of the hesitation I was feeling. I didn’t believe in soulmates or love at first sight, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what I was experiencing.

I tried to push the thoughts aside. Tahir was incredibly attractive, intelligent, and charming. I was only feeling the attraction so intensely because I hadn’t been with anyone in so long. That’s all there was to it. I needed to stop over-romanticizing this. I didn’t even know how long Tahir was going to be around for. If I let myself fall too hard, I would only end up hurt.

When we reached the end of the hallway, he opened a door and stood aside to let me enter. Inside of the room was a large bed with a pile of plush pillows. The bed was draped in deep blue sheets and blankets with a sheen that made me think they must be silk.

The room smelled of faded incense and smoke. It was a pleasant scent and grew stronger as I entered the room. I was nervous as Tahir closed the door behind us and I turned to face him. Nervous wasn’t the right word for what I was feeling. This was anticipation. It felt like something monumentally important was about to happen. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was true.

“Are you alright?” Tahir asked gently.

“Of course,” I said brightly.

He wasn’t convinced. “There’s no pressure,” he said. “You will set the pace, mon trésor. I am happy to follow your lead.” He bent to kiss me gently and I smiled against his lips.

“You are a gentleman,” I observed.

“I do try to be,” he replied. “Shall we get more comfortable?”

I nodded and walked to the bed. He sat and waited to see what I would do. I kicked off my heels and sat beside him. He seemed amused, but didn’t laugh at me.

“You’re a very beautiful woman,” he said.

I blushed and laughed nervously. “You’re pretty good looking yourself.”

“I’m flattered.” He reached out and ran his fingers gently through my hair. He twirled a curl around his fingers and looked at it thoughtfully. “Trésor,” he added softly. The gravel of his voice was almost a physical thing this close to him. I could feel the rumble in my own chest. “It’s fitting. The ivory skin, the silky golden ringlets of your hair, the sapphire eyes with that halo at the center… You are a treasure.”

I knew the French were supposed to be romantic, but I wasn’t prepared for such flowery language. I could feel my cheeks burning under his gaze. I wanted to return the compliment in some way, but the only word that was coming to mind was “hot” and that was not what I wanted to say.

I kissed him instead. He returned the kiss and ran his fingers through my hair. I shuddered and pulled back as he licked at my lips. I had to ask.

“Is your tongue split?”

He stared at me for a moment without speaking. He seemed shocked and I was embarrassed, thinking that I’d been mistaken.

“It is,” he said. “A result of an unfortunate accident.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said quickly.

“It’s fine. If you don’t like it–”

“No,” I cut him off. “I like it. I was just curious.”

A smirk crept onto his face and I felt my face heat up. He moved in to kiss me again, and I gladly parted my lips for him. It was an odd sensation, but a pleasant one.

He lowered me to the mattress and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His touch ignited something deep within me; something that was new to me, but felt natural. He wrapped one arm around my waist and easily lifted me to reposition me to the center of the bed. The show of strength was doing nothing to slow the pleasure building within me.

Tahir made a show of slowly unbuttoning his shirt as he knelt over me. He tossed the cloth away and I stared openly at the definition of his chest and his slim, toned stomach. 45 years old, huh? I had to reach out and run my fingers over his rich, dark skin. He watched me with an expression I couldn’t read.

Heat came into his eyes as I pulled my dress above my head. He responded by slowly edging his pants lower. It was too much for me. I already felt like I was going to combust. I reached out and seized his hips. He stared at me in surprise as I pulled his clothing down.

Before I could do more, he pinned me to the bed. I wasn’t sure how or when the rest of our clothes disappeared, but I could feel his skin on mine as he lay over me and I ran my fingers up his back. I could feel his muscles shifting as he nudged my legs apart and positioned himself over me.

I tried to keep my breathing level, but I couldn’t. The anticipation was too much. If he made me wait any longer, I was going to beg.

I gasped and whined as he pushed into me. This was going to be embarrassingly fast. Even if it hadn’t been over a year since I’d had sex, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. The way his touch blazed across my skin filled me with a desperate need for more. I moaned his name and he took it as permission to begin moving.

He set a steady pace and his spine moved with serpentine smoothness as he thrust into me. I scrambled for purchase, settling with my fingers grasping at his shoulder blades. He moaned in approval when my nails dug in.

Even in the darkened room, his eyes were blazing as he looked down at me. I could swear they were glowing like an ember, but it must have been a trick of the light. He bent to kiss me and I forgot about the glow as his wicked tongue slipped into my mouth.

I moaned and arched against him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held on tight. I wanted to feel more of his skin on mine. That was the only rational thought that my mind could hold on to; I wanted more.

He slid his hand up the back of my thigh and gripped my knee. I squealed a little as he adjusted me and picked up the pace of his thrusts.

The heat between us was enough to make me sweat. Tahir didn’t seem to notice. He pulled away from the kiss only to bite lightly at my shoulder. I shuddered at the feeling of his teeth on my skin. They felt strangely sharp, but he was careful not to hurt me.

My legs were starting to shake and the pressure in my core was increasing. I was panting and I had to be careful not to twist my hands in his hair as I arched myself against him. I could tell by the way he was moaning that he wasn’t going to last much longer either.

I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him against me. He gripped my hips and threw his head back. The waves of pleasure shooting up my spine were overwhelming. I closed my eyes and cried out. My mind was blank except for the euphoric sensation that had seized me.

I was distantly aware of Tahir’s voice in my ear, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He held himself over me for several long seconds as I panted breathlessly against his shoulder and waited for the feeling to fade. Once the shaking had calmed enough, I unhooked my ankles and let my legs slide off of his hips.

He lay beside me and pulled me into his arms. I cuddled against him and closed my eyes. I wouldn’t have guessed that he would be so affectionate, but I certainly wasn’t complaining. I wasn’t ready to give up the feeling of his skin against mine. He pulled the silky blanket over us and I sighed in contentment.

The warmth of his skin was soothing and I could feel my eyes growing heavy. His arm around me anchored me to the spot and I had no desire to resist it. The weight of his hand on my hip was comforting and I could feel my breathing slowing as I began to drift to sleep.

The sound of my phone buzzing drew me back to consciousness. I opened my eyes and stared at the wall for a moment. I wanted to ignore it and stay where I was, but it kept buzzing insistently.

I looked up at Tahir’s sleeping face and realized that my phone was going to wake him up if I didn’t silence it. I slipped from his grip as carefully as I could and got out of bed.

I scrambled for my bag and fished out my phone. The screen said Dexton, and I rolled my eyes. Why was he calling me again? I pushed the button and put it to my ear.

“What is it, Dex?” I asked quietly.

“Thea, I need you to get to Dad’s right now.” His voice was rushed and filled with concern.

My heart dropped. “What’s wrong?”

“He isn’t answering the phone and I’m worried. I’m probably being paranoid, but I just have a feeling…”

He didn’t need to explain further. We often joked that it was our twin telepathy that told us when something was wrong.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

“I’ll be right behind,” he said. “I just clocked out.” He hung up and I dropped my phone into my bag.

I picked my dress up and pulled it on. I tried to stay calm, but it was impossible. I was consumed with concern for my dad. I hurriedly gathered up the rest of my things. I was frantically searching for a shoe when Tahir cleared his throat. When I looked up at him, he was holding the shoe out to me.

I hadn’t even heard him get up, but he was already dressed.

“I’ll tell Ziv to get the car ready,” he said softly.

I nodded gratefully and took the shoe. Tahir left the room as I tried to calm myself enough to straighten out my clothes.

Guilt was gnawing at me. Dex had asked me to check on my dad, and I’d gone off to see Tahir instead.

If my dad was hurt, I would never forgive myself. And as I left the house and got into the car Ziv had pulled around for us, I felt another pang at leaving Tahir as he closed the front door behind us.