gleam in his eye and bask in his attention.
“So tell me.” She traced a design over his chest with her fingertip, enjoying touching him through the fine linen. Tariq had never once curtailed her sensual explorations after she’d shown him just how much she adored his body.
“It’s a day when female virgins of a certain age make a pilgrimage to a sacred place.”
“Where?”
He looked chagrined at her question. “No man knows.”
Her interest was piqued. “Really?” At his nod she asked, “How old is this festival?”
“As old as Zulheil.”
“And why couldn’t I go outside?”
Tariq pressed his forehead to hers and spoke against her mouth. “If you would let me finish, Mina, I will tell you.”
Jasmine pursed her lips and slanted him an encouraging look. He continued to speak against her mouth, lips on lips, sorely tempting her to open up.
“I do not know what they do and that is probably just as well. No man is allowed on the streets at the time.”
Jasmine frowned, the question stuck at the back of her throat. Tariq read her mind.
“Patience, little hellcat. There is no danger because the married women go with them, including the policewomen.”
She couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “Policewomen? Zulheil allows its women such occupations?” Once more, the way the people of Zulheil guarded their privacy so zealously left her feeling at a loss. She had so much to learn. And a lifetime in which to learn it, she reminded herself, ignoring the dart of fear that threatened to ruin the moment. Tariq would trust her again and wouldn’t denounce her when he discovered her illegitimacy. Maybe, her heart whispered, if she wanted his trust, she should begin by giving him hers?
“I have told you our women are cherished. We protect but do not cage.” He ran his tongue over the line of her lips in a teasing stroke. The urge to surrender almost overcame her.
“Why couldn’t I go then?”
“Because—” Tariq took advantage of her open mouth to sip from her lips “—aside from the virgins, only married women who have borne children or been married for five years can do so.” He spread his fingers over her stomach in an unmistakable message. “When you have borne my child, then you may go.”
Jasmine swallowed. The thought of bearing Tariq’s child was a dream she hadn’t dared consider. And still couldn’t, so long as she hid the truth of her own birth. She had to tell him. But not now, not when he sounded as if he cared for her. “How do you stop foreigners from disturbing the pilgrimage?”
“Zulheil annually closes its borders the week prior to this journey. Those already inside have visas that expire that same week. Recalcitrant visitors are escorted out.”
“You closed your borders after your parents passed away, didn’t you?” She’d spoken without thinking, but as soon as the words were out, she braced herself. Tariq had remained staunch in his refusal to talk about his loss.
He kissed her. It was a gentle kiss full of warmth, but without overt sexual overtones. Jasmine returned the caress, though she didn’t understand what was happening.
“Yes,” he whispered into her mouth. “For two months, Zulheil was closed to foreigners. Our people needed to come to terms with the grief and I needed time to heal the fractures.”
“Two months? Don’t you mean one?” Jasmine stroked his cheek. She wanted to cry with joy. He was trusting her with something important, something that had hurt him to the core. “I came one month afterward, remember?”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
