Free The Sheikh's Desert Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 8) by Cara Albany Page B

she was in deadly earnest. She really wanted to race him? Really? Didn't she know what she was letting herself in for? Humiliation, that was what she was about to experience, he told himself.  
    He felt a tingle of anticipation. This woman truly knew how to make him feel alive. No other woman had ever ignited such a desire for life in him. Every moment seemed to promise so much. Even their good-natured, spirited disagreements only seemed to energize him, make his existence more vital.
    Lucy was still staring at him with that sexy look, waiting for his answer to her challenge.  
    "Okay, my beautiful desert adventuress," he joked.
    Lucy's brows narrowed at that description. "Really?"
    Azim smiled. "I'll try and go easy on you," he teased.
    He saw her jaw tighten at that comment. "Easy? You don't have to go easy on me, sheikh," she teased him back. "I know you've got an unfair advantage, already. But, that won't stop me beating you."
    Azim glanced ahead to a distant ridge. "Why don't we make it that ridge," he said pointing in the direction of the highest visible dune top a short distance away.
    She didn't immediately answer him. Then, with a sudden yell, Lucy flicked her reins and she was off, racing away from him. He laughed as he watched her horse tear away at breakneck speed with Lucy hunched over the animal's neck. The horses hooves hammered into the ground, sending up plumes of golden sand. The rhythmic, pounding sound cut through the timeless silence of the desert. The sound awakened something in Azim.
    Seeing her race away from him like that triggered a sensation he recognized in some deep part of himself. It was a feeling as old as his ancestors, something that caused his body to tighten, his brows to narrow, his nostrils to flare. He drew in a deep, harsh breath.
    Instinct kicked in. He tugged on the reins and his mount shifted beneath him, sensing its master's sudden purpose.
    Then, he dug his heels into the animal's flanks and he was off after the amazing woman who was now racing away from him across his beloved desert.  
    It felt glorious to be in pursuit, straining to catch up with her, gazing ahead, savoring how well she was riding. He could see her hips sway, and the sight of her body as she drove the horse on to greater speed only intensified the sensations coursing through his body.
    He leaned forward and settled into an urgent rhythm, feeling the force of the animal between his tightening thighs. He felt the hot desert air against his face, felt it course through his flowing robes. He wondered what they must both look like, and he instantly knew the answer. He knew it must look like something out of the primitive past.
      A sheikh pursuing his lover across the desert.  
    He trailed her around the lower slopes of the dunes. Layers of shifting sands slid down the sides of the dunes as he thundered along their bases.
    Azim leaned forward and gritted his teeth. He drove his mount faster,   an eye on their destination, the distant high peak of the dune.  
    His breathing had quickened and he felt his pulse pounding. He hadn't known excitement like this in a long time. She was still ahead of him, and she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.
    He was merely playing with her, wasn't he? Letting her stay ahead of him.
    Who was he kidding!  
    Azim coaxed even greater speed out of his mount, gazing ahead at Lucy. But it didn't seem to make much difference. He still couldn't gain on her. How could that be? The only answer he could think of was that she was digging deep into her own reserves of determination. She didn't want him to beat her to the summit, and she was going flat out to win.  
    What was she trying to prove? But then, Lucy had always played to win. Everything she did brought out a fierce determination, her competitive streak. No wonder she'd chosen this kind of life for herself. Nothing else would satisfy her, he realized.  
    They both weaved around some low dunes and Azim sensed that she was