That evening Delaney left her brothers in Tara's care while she and Jamal went out to dinner. Although he had invited everyone to join them, she was grateful they had declined, so she could spend an evening alone with him.

However, they had indicated to Jamal, engaged or not engaged, they expected her to sleep in her bed and alone alone tonight. They had made it clear that until there was a wedding they intended to protect their sister's honor. It had been hard for Delaney to keep a straight face at that one. And eye contact across the room with Tara indicated that her friend had figured out her condition and would keep her secret and would do everything she could to help keep the Westmoreland brothers busy until she returned-which Delaney intended to be rather late. tonight. They had made it clear that until there was a wedding they intended to protect their sister's honor. It had been hard for Delaney to keep a straight face at that one. And eye contact across the room with Tara indicated that her friend had figured out her condition and would keep her secret and would do everything she could to help keep the Westmoreland brothers busy until she returned-which Delaney intended to be rather late.

She nervously bit her bottom lip when she thought about Thorn. He could be rather irrational at times and was more overprotective than the others. She would have to talk to him privately just as soon as he arrived in the morning.

"Are you ready to leave, Delaney?"

Jamal's question broke into her thoughts, and she lovingly gazed across the table at him. Earlier that day, after getting nearly everything straightened out with her brothers, he had left to change clothes and had returned two hours later to take her to dinner.

Tonight he was dressed like a Westerner and looked absolutely stunning in a dark gray suit, white shirt and navy-blue tie. She smiled, thinking he was certainly a very handsome man. His dark eyes held her seductively in their gaze and had been doing so all night. "Yes," she said softly. "But it's early yet. You aren't planning to take me straight home, are you?"

He stood and walked around the table to pull her chair back for her. "No. I thought you might be interested in seeing the town house I've purchased to live in while I'm here."

Delaney raised a brow. "You've purchased a town house? But you just arrived today."

He nodded. "Asalum is most efficient when it comes to handling business matters. He took care of all the details and made the necessary arrangements from the jet while we were flying over here."

Delaney shook her head. She doubted she would ever get used to such extravagance. "Must be nice."

He chuckled. "It is nice, as you will soon see." He took her hand in his as they walked out of the restaurant. "And there is another reason I want to take you to my town house."

Delaney had a good idea just what that other reason was but wanted him to tell her, anyway. "And what reason is that, Your Highness?" Your Highness?"

Jamal leaned down and whispered in her ear. Even with the darkness of her skin, she actually blushed, then smiled up at him. "Um, I think something like that can be arranged, Prince."

Back at Delaney's apartment the Westmoreland brothers and Tara were involved in a game of bid whist. Tara excused herself from the next game and went into the kitchen to check on the cookies that she had baking in the oven.

They had ordered pizza earlier, and with Stone's complaint of not having anything sweet to eat, she had taken a tube of frozen cookie dough from Delaney's freezer and had baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Tara smiled, inwardly admitting that now that she was getting to know them better, she liked Delaney's brothers. Although she thought their overprotectiveness was a bit much, it was definitely a show of the love they had for their sister.

She was taking the tray of baked cookies from the oven when Delaney's doorbell sounded. She hoped it wasn't one of the neighbors complaining that too much noise was coming from the apartment. Storm had a tendency to groan rather loudly whenever he lost, which was frequently. She smiled, thinking he was definitely a sore loser.

Back in the living room, Chase got up from the table to open the door. He s.n.a.t.c.hed it open, wondering who would have the nerve to interrupt their card game.

He winced when he saw the person standing there. d.a.m.n, all h.e.l.l is about to break loose, he thought frowning. "Thorn! What are you doing here? We weren't expecting you until the morning."

Thorn Westmoreland shook his head and looked questioningly beyond Chase to the table where his other brothers sat playing cards. At least they had had been playing cards. Stone had stopped and sat unmoving, like a "stone" right in the middle of dealing out the cards, and both Dare and Storm looked at him as if he was a Martian. been playing cards. Stone had stopped and sat unmoving, like a "stone" right in the middle of dealing out the cards, and both Dare and Storm looked at him as if he was a Martian.

He frowned, wondering what the h.e.l.l had everyone spooked. Entering the apartment, he walked into the center of the room. "What the h.e.l.l is everyone staring at? Do I have mud on my face or something?"

Dare, regaining his wits, returned to shuffling the cards. "We're just surprised to see you tonight."

"Yeah," Stone chimed in. "We weren't expecting you until the morning."

Thorn threw his overnight bag on the sofa. "Yes, that's what I heard, twice already. First from Chase and now you guys. So you're all surprised I showed up tonight. What's going on?"

Chase closed the door and walked across the room to reclaim his seat at the table. "What makes you think something is going on?"

"Because the four of you are looking guilty as sin about something."

Dare chuckled. "That's just your imagination, bro." As usual everyone was trying to decipher Thorn's mood and until they did, they weren't making any waves. And they definitely weren't going to say anything about Delaney's engagement. "I take it you got that customer satisfied."

"Yeah, and got a free flight here on his private jet." Thorn glanced around the apartment. "Where's Laney?"

Storm threw out a card. "She went out."

Thorn frowned and checked his watch. It was almost midnight. "She went out where?"

"She didn't say," Stone said, studying his hand.

Thorn's frown deepened. "When is she coming back?"

"We don't know exactly," Chase said, watching his brother, knowing that at any minute they would start seeing smoke come from his ears. It didn't take much to set Thorn off when he was in one of his foul moods. Usually this kind of mood meant he was overdue for getting laid, but it was Thorn's own fault for being so d.a.m.n nitpicky when it came to women.

Thorn slowly walked over to the table. "And just what do you know, exactly?" exactly?"

Dare chuckled. "Trust us, Thorn, you don't want to hear it. At least not from us. Just have a seat and sit tight until Laney comes home. Or better yet, pull up a chair and join the game. My truck needs a new engine so I need to win some money off you."

Thorn slammed his fist hard on the table, sending cards flying. When he was sure he had everyone's attention he proceeded to say, "I don't know what's going on but I have a feeling it involves Laney. And you guys know how much I hate secrets. So which one of you is going to spill your guts?"

Dare stood. So did Stone, Chase and Storm. Usually it took a combined effort to make Thorn see reason and cut the moody c.r.a.p. "We aren't telling you anything so sit down and shut up," Dare said through clenched teeth.

At that moment Tara came charging out of the kitchen. She had heard enough. Thorn Westmoreland had some nerve, barging in here at this late hour and causing problems. Just who did he think he was?

Thorn caught her in his peripheral vision the moment she flew out of the kitchen. She stopped walking when he turned and stared at her.

Tara swallowed, wondering why the air had suddenly left the room, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Her gaze held the muscular, well-built man who stood so tall she had to stretch her neck to look up at him. Dressed in a pair of jeans-and wearing them in a way she'd never known a man to wear them before-he utterly oozed s.e.xuality and sensuality, all rolled into one. He was without a doubt the most gorgeous hunk of man she had ever laid eyes on.

He was staring at her, and his stare was burning intimate spots all over her body, branding her. She blinked, not appreciating the fact that any man, especially this man with his foul mood, could have this effect on her. She didn't have time for such foolishness. s.e.xual chemistry was too much bother, too time-consuming. Her job and her career came first. Physical attraction, love, s.e.x, babies...and all the other stuff that went with it...was definitely a low priority on her totem pole.

She inhaled deeply, thinking that the best thing to do would be to say her peace and get the h.e.l.l of out there, on the fastest legs she had. Once she was safe in her apartment, she would try and figure out what was happening to her and why.

With a deep frown she resumed walking until she stood directly in front of Thorn. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "How dare you come here causing problems? Just who do you think you are? The Mighty Thorn? All we need is to give the neighbors a reason to complain. So why don't you do like you've been told and sit down and shut up!"

Taking a deep breath, she then turned her attention to the other four brothers. "I put the cookies on a plate in the kitchen. Help yourselves." After glaring one last time at Thorn, she quickly crossed the room and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

Thorn forced his gaze away from the whirlwind who had told him off. He slowly turned and looked at his brothers, who for some reason were staring steadfastly at him...with smirks on their faces. "Who the h.e.l.l is that?"

Dare chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That, Thorn, is Thorn, is your your challenge." challenge."

The same s.e.xual tension that had totally consumed Jamal and Delaney from the moment he had picked her up for dinner increased by umpteen degrees once he had her settled in the warm intimacy of the Mercedes sports car he was driving. Every look they exchanged was hot.

Delaney knew that each time he stopped for a traffic light he took his eyes off the road and turned his gaze to her. Then there was the hand that he simply refused to keep on the steering wheel-the one he preferred to use to caress her legs and thighs instead. And the short dress she had on made her body all that more accessible. It barely covered her thighs.

Her brothers' jaws had almost dropped when she'd walked out of the bedroom wearing it, but thank goodness they hadn't said anything. The look Jamal had given her had been totally different from her brothers' and she had hurriedly ushered him out of her apartment before anyone noticed what seeing her in it had done to a certain part of his body.

"Open."

Jamal's husky command filled the quiet stillness of the car's interior. Delaney couldn't help but notice his hand had worked its way up her inner thigh. Knowing just what he meant for her to do, she slowly opened her legs while studying his profile intently. His eyes were still on the road but she detected his breathing had shifted from steady to unsteady.

Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt the tenderness of his fingers touch the center of her panty hose between her legs. Boy, she had missed his fingers. Her dream was nothing compared to the real thing. The man was filling her with a purely s.e.xual rush.

Her breathing became heavy when the tip of his finger worked insistently until it poked a hole in her panty hose, to get to just what it wanted. Tonight her panty hose was serving as both panty and hosiery, so once he found his way past the silky nylon all that was left was bare flesh, and his finger found her hot and wet.

"I can't wait to get you home, Delaney," he whispered softly, as his busy fingers continued to touch her, tease her and explore her fully. Her body shivered at the intimate contact, and she felt herself getting hotter and wetter. He felt it, too.

Her mind and thoughts concentrated on what he was doing to her when his fingers began a rhythm that made her arch her back against the seat. She opened her legs wider, which made her dress rise higher on her thighs, thankful that the people riding in the car next to them could not see what was happening inside theirs. Her mouth opened, then closed, along with her eyes, unable to get any words out, just moans...excruciating moans.

"When we get to my place, Delaney, I won't be using my finger. Do you know what I'll be using?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him and saw they had come to a traffic light. He leaned over and whispered hotly in her ear, and the only thing she could think to say was, "My goodness."

Her breath suddenly became shaky and her body began shivering when he began rubbing inside of her harder, increasing the rhythm. The palms of her hands pressed hard against the car's dashboard when everything inside of her exploded, reeling her into a climax. Her body continued to shudder violently.

"Jamal!"

Her head went back and she moaned one final time as pleasure consumed her, slowly leaving her sated, breathless and feeling weak. Once she could get her breathing under control she found the strength to glance over at Jamal. She was too overwhelmed to even feel embarra.s.sed at the fact that he had made her climax in a car while he had been driving with one hand.

"Are you okay, My Princess?"

"Yes," she replied weakly. At some point they had arrived at their destination when she noted he had brought the car to a complete stop in front of a ma.s.sive group of elegant buildings. As she met his gaze, his lips tilted into an intense s.e.xual smile. He slowly leaned over and placed a light, yet pa.s.sionate kiss on her lips. "No matter how real my dreams seemed at night, whenever I woke up I could never conjure this."

"What?" she asked softly, barely able to speak.

"The scent of you having a climax. It's a scent that is purely you, private, individual and totally sensual. I wish like h.e.l.l I could bottle it." He leaned over and kissed her again. "Stay put. I'm coming around the car to get you," he said when he finally released her lips.

She watched as he got out of the car and came around to her side and opened the door. Undoing her seat belt he scooped her up into his arms and, as if she was a precious bundle, he held her gently to him and carried her inside his home.

Jamal took Delaney straight to the bedroom and placed her on his bed. "I'll be right back. I need to lock the door."

Delaney nodded, closing her eyes, feeling blissful yet totally drained. Moments later she slowly reopened her eyes and glanced around. The bedroom was huge, probably big enough to fit two of her bedrooms in. She had noticed the same thing about the other parts of the house when he carried her through to the bedroom. She sat up, and when she noted her dress had risen up past her hips, tried tugging it back down.

"There's no need to pull it down since I'll be taking it completely off you in a second."

Heat filled Delaney's cheeks when she met Jamal's gaze across the room. He was standing in the doorway removing his jacket, which was followed by his tie. Her gaze stayed glued to him, while she watched him undress. She continued to look at him, thinking he was such a fine specimen of a man and that he was hers.

"Jamal?"

"Yes?"

"How soon do you want to get married?"

He smiled as he pulled the belt out of his pants. "Is tonight soon enough?"

She returned his smile. "Yes, but I'd like you to meet my parents first."

He nodded. "Only if you won't let them talk you out of marrying me."

Delaney didn't blink, not once when she said, "No one could do that. I love you too much."

Jamal had taken off all his clothes except for his pants. She remembered the first time she had seen him without a shirt and how her body had responded to the sheer masculinity of him. And her body was responding to him now.

He walked over to where she sat in the middle of the bed. "And I love you, too. I hadn't realized just how much until I had to leave you. Being without you was hard on me. You totally consumed my every thought. There were days when I wondered if I would make it without you."

Delaney looked at Jamal. She knew an admission like that had probably been hard for him to make. "I will make you a good princess, Jamal."

He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out and pulled her into his lap. "Mmm, will you, Delaney?" he asked, smiling. "Are you willing to salaam me each and every time you see me?"

She lifted a dark brow at him. "No."

"Well, then, are you willing to always walk two paces behind me?"

"No. Nor will I hide my face behind some veil," she decided to add.

Jamal couldn't keep the amus.e.m.e.nt out of his gaze. "You won't?"

"No, I won't."

"Mmm. Then will you be obedient and do everything everything that I say?" that I say?"

She didn't give that question much thought, either, before quickly shaking her head. "No."

He chuckled as he looked at her. "All right, Delaney, then what will will you do to make me a good princess?" you do to make me a good princess?"

She shifted positions in his lap so that she was sitting facing him, straddling his hips. She placed her arms around his neck and met his gaze intently. "On the day I become your desert princess, you will become my desert sheikh. And I will love you more than any woman has ever loved you before. I will honor you and be by your side to do what I can for your people who will become my my people. I will obey you to a point, but I will retain my right to disagree and make my own decisions about things, always respecting your customs when I do so." people. I will obey you to a point, but I will retain my right to disagree and make my own decisions about things, always respecting your customs when I do so."

Her gaze became intense when she added, "And I will give you sons and daughters who will honor you and respect you and who will grow up strong in our love and the love of their people. They will share two cultures and two countries, and I believe they will always love and appreciate both."

She inhaled deeply when she added, "And last but not least, I will be your wife and and your mistress. I will take care of your mistress. I will take care of all all your needs and make sure that you stay extremely happy and never regret making me your princess." your needs and make sure that you stay extremely happy and never regret making me your princess."

For the longest moment Jamal didn't say anything. Then he kissed her. First softly, then tenderly and finally hotly as his mouth slanted over hers, tasting her fully. He broke off the kiss and slowly stood with her in his arms, her legs still wrapped around his waist.

Placing her on her feet, he pulled her dress over her head, leaving her bare, except for her panty hose and chemise, which he quickly removed. When she stood before him completely naked, he removed his pants and boxer shorts, desperately wanting to be inside of her, with his body stroking hers.