Oh no, no, no—-
Please don’t—-
But it was too late.
I was wet again.
Impossibly, undeniably wet, and even as I pressed my thighs together under my skirt, there was no stopping it, the moisture soaking my panties in a moment.
The sheikh’s nostrils flared, as if he, too, knew of his effect on my body. “I need you to answer me honestly, ukhayyah.”
The last word sounded so beautifully exotic on his lips. It wasn’t the first time he had called me that, and wetting my lips, I asked tremulously, “W-what does it mean?”
“Little sister.” The sheikh’s lips twisted in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Oh.
It worked like a bucket of ice-cold water, reminding myself of the painful reality of my life, and that was that I had no business feeling like this about him of all people.
“I need to go.” I tried to pull away, but the sheikh’s grip only tightened.
“Not until you answer me.” He didn’t wait for me to speak and went straight at it, his voice turning abrupt as he asked, “Have you ever been kissed by a man?”
My eyes widened. That was one question I had never expected him to ask.
“Have you?” the sheikh insisted.
I shook my head.
“Good.” His eyes blazed with such intensity, that I became all the wetter for it. “Another question, ukhayyah.”
“You said just one,” I protested unevenly.
“This will be the last,” he promised huskily.
My toes curled at his tone. A small sensible voice told me that this was getting onto dangerous territory again. But with the sheikh looking at me like I was the most beautiful girl on earth, I couldn’t help it.
Throwing common sense out of the window I asked, “What is it?”
“Would you like to claim your reward?” His lips dropped an octave. “Would you like me to have your first kiss?”
Oh. My. God.
There was only one answer to that.
“Yes—-”
And before I knew what he was planning, the sheikh had bent his head and kissed me.
Even though I expected it, I still stiffened in shock, a part of me wondering if this was all a dream.
The sheikh’s lips brushed against mine, over and over until my lips started to part. His tongue immediately slid in, taking advantage. It was strange and incredible, the feeling of his tongue inside my mouth. When I whimpered, the sound seemed to trigger something inside of him, making the sheikh deepen the kiss. His tongue stroked mine more boldly and explored my mouth more thoroughly.
When the sheikh released me, I gasped for breath as I stumbled back.
Had we really just kissed? Was it really the sheikh’s mouth on mine?
My gaze flew to him, but he looked so composed it was as if I had only imagined what happened.
“Wh-wha—-”
The sheikh didn’t let me finish. “You may go.”
The Punishment
I didn’t tell anyone about what happened that night.
The sheikh hadn’t forbidden me to do so. He didn’t have to. This was exactly like what happened the first night we meet. If I ever spoke a word, I’d end up ruining my mother’s marriage – the one thing in her life that was purely beautiful and happy.
And I just couldn’t do that to her.
After school the next day, a soldier came to me, saying the sheikh was requesting for my presence in his study.
“Could you tell him I’m not feeling well?” Not waiting for the soldier’s answer, I smiled wanly at him before closing the door on his face.
I threw myself on my bed, still in my uniform. It was all a lie of course, but I just knew I wasn’t ready to face him yet.
Memories of our kiss flooded my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, but they persisted to haunt even the darkness behind my lids, taunting me of my weakness.
That kiss shouldn’t have happened, but it had, and I hadn’t done anything to stop it. Instead, I had returned the kiss, surrendered myself to the kiss and if the sheikh hadn’t put a stop to it, I would have let the kiss go on…forever.
For the rest of the day, I locked myself inside the room, even going as far as skipping dinner because I still wasn’t ready to face him.
Near midnight, someone knocked on my door, waking me up. “Who is it?” I called out. I was sleepy and confused, unable to understand why the soldier outside my door didn’t just tell me who it was.
“May I speak with you?”
It was the sheikh.
When I didn’t answer, the sheikh said quietly, “I do not want this between us, Lady Ella. Let me speak with you. Please.”
The raw sincerity in his voice drew me in, and before I knew what I was doing, I was already unlocking the door and letting him in. “Your Highness,” I mumbled, sinking into a curtsy. I avoided his gaze the entire time.
I heard the sheikh close the door and lock it. The latter stunned me, made me wary all of a sudden. I looked up, and the mocking gleam in the sheikh’s blue eyes made me gasp.