Horns for the Harem Girl by Lynn Red Read Free Book Online Page B

appeared with another of those carefully folded envelopes.
    “You know they’re talking about me,” she said as the crooked-nosed Englishman slid into her room. And that’s really what he did – he didn’t stride or walk; he slid like a shadow. This was the first time she’d noticed it, but no other word fit. It was like he was part of the wall, moving through it without any friction or resistance.
    “I expect so,” was his reply. When she didn’t say anything to that, he finished. “Every movement needs a hero. And every hero needs a song to sing.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “You’ve never heard the great heroic songs? The Iliad ? The Odyssey ? There’s always a mission. There’s always some cause greater than the hero. That’s what we’re doing. It’s just convenient that you stepped in when you did.”
    She bristled. “I stepped in ? What is that supposed to mean?” She prodded him in the chest with a stiffened finger. “You roped me into this. You came to me , if you remember how it actually went.”
    Crane smiled. “We all have our own perspective. Regardless, this isn’t the time, nor the place. Take this, I have other business around the place that doesn’t involve a bunch of back-biting women. Here.”
    He held the envelope out, and when Helena didn’t grab it immediately, he threw it at her with a flick of his wrist. “Either way,” he said. “We’re moving on. The whispers have done their job, and that means I’ve done mine too. Whatever you choose, there’s no turning back.”
    With that, he spun on his heel and exited, much less smoothly than had he entered. When she was sure he was gone, Helena bent down and retrieved the envelope from the ground, and opened it with a trembling thumb.
    “Dearest Helena,” it read. “We must meet, not because I want to make love to you, which I do, and not because I can’t live without touching you again, which I can’t.”
    Already her heart was beating faster, and she wasn’t even finished with the letter.
    “We need to meet because I’m making good on my promise. And things are moving faster than I thought. Tonight, after the palace sleeps. Meet me in our place. –A”
    “Oh, no,” Helena said into her empty room. “Oh... oh no.”

-6-
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    “Y ou came,” Arad said, grabbing Helena and pulling her toward his shirtless, hot-skinned body as she rounded the corner. He kissed her deeply, pushing her head backward against the smooth wall of the secret tunnel.
    Helena opened her lips, tasting his breath, inhaling the prince’s scent as deeply as she could. She didn’t know why, but she was trembling as she did. He pressed her lips open, and swirled his tongue inside her mouth, running it along the inside of her lips and then hard into her.
    Pressing her between his body and the wall, the prince made her feel every single curve and line of his body. She noticed that this time, there wasn’t any buckle holding up his trousers, only linen and silk separated their bodies. His heat burned against her belly and for a moment – just a fleeting, blissful moment – she felt him move against her, his thickness teasing her entire body to life.
    “I can’t,” he whispered, huskily as he pulled away. “As much as I want to realize all my dreams, I can’t. Not tonight. Not like this. With you, I want it to be right. I don’t want to rush anything.”
    With a smile on her bowed lips, Helena let her hand fall to the waist of Arad’s loose, linen trousers. The weight of her hand pushed them down just enough for the hair around him to brush against her knuckles. Just the thought of his body... in that way... sent a shock of excitement curling up Helena’s chest. Her nipples puckered and pebbled against the flimsy silk of the robe she’d worn. In the lantern light, she knew he could see her through the fabric, which is why she’d picked it in the first place.
    A groan escaped the prince’s lips as he