"As his wife?" she queried.

"Agreed!" he said. "Now tell me, how it is you were able to leave your palace and walk into my encampment without raising any alarm?" He pushed her gown off her shoulders, his hands caressing the soft, silky skin.

"Kansbar has put a spell upon all of our little world this night but for you and for me," she explained. She shrugged her garment off, and it dropped to the floor of his tent.

He felt his breath catch in his throat. "Are you a virgin?" he asked her. Her breasts brushed against his broad chest, and he admired their perfection, not to mention the exciting contrast between his pale gold skin and her creamy ivory flesh.

"Of course I am a virgin, but I have been taught all the ways of pleasing a man, Amir Khan." Her hand reached beneath his sand-and-white striped robe. She fondled his rod with surprisingly skilled fingers. "You are very big," she noted. Then her hands moved to undo his robe so she might see his body as he was seeing hers. When she had succeeded she moved back slightly, saying, "You are very beautiful for a man, Amir Khan. You are not overly handsome like my cousin, but rather you are manly. I believe that you will arouse me when the time is right between us."

"Why not now?" he asked her, drawing her back against him, one big hand roughly fondling her breasts. By all the Gods! They were like the plumpest of summer peaches, and just filled his palm with their delicious ripeness.

"Patience, my lord Amir Khan. One should never hurry too quickly along roads to paradise, I have been told."

"Give me your lips!" his deep, rough voice grated out to her.

Zuleika raised her head up to meet his kiss, and the sensation that exploded within her took her by surprise. His mouth was hard, yet it was soft. It demanded, but oh, so sweetly. Her lips seemed to part of their own volition. His tongue plunged into her mouth seeking her tongue. Again she was overcome by feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. So this is passion, noted the small part of her brain still functioning. It was really quite breathtaking.