Blood of the Nile Read online

  Ramses glanced at her over his shoulder. “I tried to get us a room close to the end of the train in case we need to make an unexpected escape. It’s a single sleeper, but we’ll have to make do.”

  “Fine by me,” Maliyah said, shrugging her shoulders as he opened the door and ushered her inside. Everything in the cramped train compartment was cast in shades of grey. A full-size bed and a small, round table with a single chair were the only furnishings. Luckily, the view from the large picture window made up for the lack of luxury.

  After two attempts on her life in the past twenty-four hours, extravagance didn’t seem necessary. All Maliyah wanted was to let her hair down and relax. It had been a hectic couple of days to say the least, and she needed to tend to a few personal hygiene matters. She grabbed some items out of her overnight bag and set them on the small table, then shoved the tote underneath the bunk. She watched Ramses remove the cloth that covered his head, then peel the sweat-soaked dress shirt from his shoulders, leaving him in nothing more than a pair of snug jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

  Maliyah couldn’t resist. She had to take a peek. After all, the man was built like a machine, sculpted muscle draped over impenetrable steel. His hulking frame, visible in the sleeveless tank top, made Maliyah’s mouth go dry. She licked her lips to keep them moist, inadvertently garnering Ramses’ lustful scrutiny. He groaned deep in his throat, then looked away, careful to avoid her gaze. He laid his belongings over the back of the chair. Casually, he took hold of his man parts and adjusted his expanding girth.

  There was no use denying the truth. Maliyah wanted Ramses. No question about it. By the evidence in his pants, Ramses felt the attraction too. The fact that her cousin had forbid him from touching her made her yearn for him even more. Ramses must have sensed her desire because he stalked forward and reached for her.

  “Careful Ramses, remember your promise,” she said, flattening her hand against his chest. “Besides, I need to go freshen up. I’ll be right back.”

  ***

  Ramses dragged his fingers through his damp hair as perspiration gathered at the base of his skull. That day, the temperature in the Sahara surpassed one hundred degrees and Maliyah wasn’t doing him any favors by turning up the heat. The wanton tease made him want to yank off the flowing, floral print dress she wore and fuck her silly. Visions of her sweet ass plastered against the windows of the train car danced in his head. He wanted her naked and it didn’t matter if a whole caravan of desert nomads stopped to catch a glimpse. Their coupling was bound to happen. Why not sooner than later?

  Nonetheless, Maliyah made a good point. Ramses had promised her cousin Husani that he’d keep his hands to himself. A man of honor, he intended to stay true to his word. He wouldn’t touch Maliyah. At least, not with his hands. His mouth and cock, on the other hand, were both fair game.

  Before Maliyah returned from the powder room, he reached into the small rolling suitcase he’d brought along for the trip. He pulled out a red paisley necktie and placed it next to the other articles of clothing he’d dangled over the chair. There was a good chance he’d need to be tied up in order to keep his paws off Maliyah. The necktie would come in handy if that turned out to be the case.

  The door swung open and Maliyah sauntered in. Her hair was now loose, its shiny, brown tentacles hung haphazardly in front of her face. She’d removed most of her make-up and traded in her three-inch heels for a pair of simple strappy sandals. She looked up at Ramses. Her green-gold gaze locked with his. At the same time, her lower lip jutted out to entice him with its sultry pout.

  Maliyah stepped closer and spoke into his chest. He could feel the heat from her skin tickle his nerve endings. “So now what? We’ve got eleven hours to kill and I’m saving the fashion magazines Salma shoved in the side of my bag until I get desperate?”

  “You? Desperate?” Ramses repeated. His raspy tone came out as sensual and breathy, with a hint of sarcasm mixed in to keep Maliyah on her toes. “It’d be a pity if we let that happen. I think we can find something to keep us occupied. Maybe there’s a deck of cards in my carry on.”

  Maliyah put her hand to her lips as if to giggle, but instead a loud snort came out through her nose.

  Is she mocking me? Ramses thought to himself. She hadn’t uttered a single word, yet he knew her snicker was meant in protest.

  Only Maliyah, a siren who embodied the perfect combination of subtle innocence and feisty femme fatale, could dish out corrosive rancor just as well as she could take it. That time, she’d done so without even opening her mouth. Although Ramses had great reverence for the Egyptian culture in which he was reared, he found himself drawn to Maliyah’s freethinking, American tendencies. He respected her desire for independence and the rebellious streak she wielded at every turn.

  Before he could think of a saucy comeback, Maliyah had already placed both hands on Ramses’ bare shoulders. She massaged his biceps and let the pads of her fingers caress their way up and down his arm. Soon, they became tangled in the shaggy, black hair that gathered at his neck.

  “How could a game of cards possibly keep me amused? Not when I have all this tempting, well-toned flesh at my disposal.”

  “Wait,” Ramses said, pulling back slightly. He hadn’t anticipated Maliyah’s aggressive pursuit. His need for her bordered on the absurd, but he knew he’d have to take things slow. Otherwise, his vampire persona might make an unexpected appearance. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her. “What about the pledge we made to Husani?”

  Maliyah leaned in, and her heated breath skated across his tanned skin, sending a direct signal to his cock. It was time to come out and play. Whatever sport Maliyah wanted to tackle, Ramses would step up to the plate.

  “I made no such promise. Just keep your hands to yourself, lover boy. Let me do all the work,” she said, darting her tongue out to taste him. God damn, Maliyah was a woman after his own heart. Her succulent lips blazed a path from his neck, passed the sparse patch of hair that peeked out from the top of his shirt.

  Maliyah hiked the shirt up past his navel. Her eyes followed the line of dark curls downward until she once again spotted the thick erection through his jeans. She sank to her knees, and then used her hands to remove his belt. One by one, she undid the buttons of his 501’s, as a flush of red spread across her face. She must have realized that he wore nothing underneath.

  Ramses’ shaft was as hard as stone. It sprang eagerly from his jeans. Maliyah lowered them to the floor and without hesitation licked the head of his cock into her mouth.

  “To hell with restraint!” Ramses groaned. He fisted his hands at his sides as she sucked him between her lips. She went so deep that he felt the tip hit the back of her throat. Once his shaft brushed against her tonsils, she moaned out loud. The vibration shot a torrent of sensation up from his balls. Ramses jerked forward, then thrust back, seizing control of the situation. Unable to keep from touching Maliyah, Ramses grabbed the back of her head, forcing her to accept the entire length of his shaft over and over again until his seed threatened to explode.

  All of a sudden, Ramses wrenched her away. His hand took hold of his cock and squeezed it at the base to keep from ejaculating on the front of her dress.

  “My turn. Take off your clothes, Maliyah,” Ramses said, his voice gruff and demanding. “Then lie down on the bed.”

  Chapter Nine

  The Inevitable

  Ramses advanced on Maliyah, his intimidating frame forcing her back until her knees met the edge of the bunk. The kit gloves had come off. He’d already broken his promise once, but who could blame him? She knew her attempt at seduction would be impossible to resist. Careful not to touch her skin-to-skin, his hands reached for the hem of her dress. He lifted it over her curves, and tossed it to the floor. Then, he placed his palms flat against the wall panel above her head, and moved in for the kill. His lips descended on Maliyah’s. Their tongues collided like two freight trains. The resulting explosion kindled a burning fla
me that consumed Maliyah, and shot a fireball of desire coursing through her veins.

  Ramses kissed his way down the slender column of her throat and over the hills and valleys of her breasts. Through Maliyah’s lacy bra, he sucked one nipple into his mouth, soaking the scant material with moist heat. His rigid shaft pressed against her thigh, and nudged her toward the mattress.

  “Maliyah, you’re killing me here. Get naked. Now,” Ramses ground out through clenched jaw. Then, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the other nipple. She arched her back and shifted her weight, resting her throbbing clitoris against her lover’s enormous erection. Maliyah moaned, then unlatched the hook of her bra. Afterwards, she rolled her panties to her ankles and stepped out of them.

  Maliyah crawled onto the bed on all fours, spying Ramses’ hungry stare out of the corner of her eye. His gaze remained focused on her feminine folds. Her sex glistened as her body readied itself for what was to come. Of course “come” was the preeminent word. A moment later, Ramses used his knee to nudge her onto her back, trapping Maliyah against the mattress.

  “Spread your thighs wider,” Ramses commanded as he knelt between her legs, his hot breath tickling the thin strip of curls at the apex of her sex. She shivered as a series of tremors wreaked havoc on her prickly flesh. Ramses’ eyes shot up, making sure Maliyah caught him in her sights as he licked his lips provocatively. Still, his mouth refused to make contact with her pussy.

  The son of a bitch has the nerve to tease me?

  Maliyah was tired of waiting. The blistering ache in her womb wouldn’t be denied any longer. She reared up, grinding her clitoris against his mouth. Ramses groaned, eager to sample her femininity. He lapped at the nub and spread her folds with his talented tongue. His fingernails dug into the grey cotton duvet cover, never once letting his hands brush against her skin. But his lips and tongue picked up the slack. They nipped and sucked until Maliyah’s ass bucked off the bed and she screamed his name.

  “Oh God, Ramses. I’m coming,” she shouted, drenching his face with her climax.

  By the time Maliyah caught her breath, her lover had wiped his mouth clean and slithered up her sweat-soaked body. He turned on his side and propped himself up on his left elbow, a smile as wide as a Cheshire cat’s spread across his face. His eyes roamed over her curves as if committing them to memory.

  “It’s my turn. Turn over onto your back and let me climb on top. If you’re lucky, you might hit a homerun,” Maliyah said, perpetuating the sexual innuendo with the use of the baseball analogy. No doubt, Ramses was about to score.

  Maliyah straddled his muscled torso. Her knees clung to his narrow hips. She rubbed the head of his cock over her slick entrance, on the verge of finishing them both off with another mind-blowing orgasm. As soon as she began to lower herself onto his manhood, Ramses’ cell phone rang, disrupting the rhythm of her initial thrust. Its vibration rattled against the wood of the table that sat a few feet away.

  Ramses looked toward the sound. His eyes shot up as he recognized the caller’s name on the screen. He placed a hand to Maliyah’s thigh, halting her undulations.

  “Fuck! Sorry, habibti. I’ve got to answer that. It’s the private investigator working on your father’s case.” He picked Maliyah up and set her down on top of the mattress. Then, he hopped off the bed and reached for the phone, sliding his jeans back into place as he answered the call. Ramses held the receiver in the crook of his neck and slipped out the door of the train compartment into the hallway.

  He obviously doesn’t want me to hear what the private investigator has to say. With an irritated sigh, Maliyah rolled over onto her stomach and pounded her fists into the pillow. Frustrated and still aching with need.

  ***

  Pacing the hallway of the train car, Ramses tried to listen to the private investigator’s report. Yet, the raging hard-on in his pants made the task rather difficult. He could also taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. He’d had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep Maliyah from eyeing his protruding fangs. Surely, the shocking discovery would have ended their sensual play.

  Jesus Christ, man! Get a grip.

  Ramses needed to concentrate on what the private investigator had to say. He’d hired the P.I. himself so as not to draw unneeded attention to Maliyah or the rest of the Aziz family. They’d already suffered enough and it was his job to help them put Anwar’s soul to rest once and for all. Ramses contracted with a man by the name of Boris Rothstein. He was an ex-Israeli Special Forces officer who specialized in surveillance and Krav Maga, a deadly form of martial arts. As Boris rattled off details about Anat’s location and the description of the man she’d shacked up with, Ramses patience began to wear thin. He had to find them before another attempt was made on Maliyah’s life.

  Just as he’d suspected, the maid and her accomplice were on the move. Instead of keeping themselves hidden in the bustling city of Aswan, they’d holed up in a shack on the beach on the tiny island of Elephantine, some thirty miles off the coast from the mainland. That would mean that once he and Maliyah arrived at their destination, they’d have to ferry a boat to the island in order to track down their prey.

  “Email me a photograph of the fella she’s with. I’ll need to be able to ID him once we disembark,” Ramses said, his tongue darting out to moisten his parched lips. The intense heat of the desert, along with the distinct taste of Maliyah that lingered in his mouth, had taken a toll on his body. On top of that, he needed sustenance. He’d been in such a hurry to whisk Anwar’s daughter away, he hadn’t had time to fulfill his necessity for blood. Unfortunately, forgetfulness had been par for the course ever since Maliyah arrived. He found it difficult to focus whenever she was around.

  “There’s one more thing,” the unfamiliar voice came through from the other end of the phone.

  “What is it?” Ramses asked, rubbing his temples that suddenly began to ache. A consequence of his empty stomach.

  “Andreas Kristopolous and his new bride are in Elephantine. They’re on a honeymoon of sorts.”

  Shit! Could one of the oldest vampire family’s in existence be behind this coupe? Given the fact that Andreas’s father had remained on good terms with Anwar al Aziz, he’d pretty much written them off as suspects. Nonetheless, Ramses wasn’t taking any chances with Maliyah’s safety. He’d have to check out their story to make sure it was legit.

  After severing the phone connection, Ramses slid open the door to their berth. Once inside, he found his companion fast asleep, snuggling into the heap of muted grey sheets.

  That’s probably a blessing. There’s work to be done.

  Ramses eyed the gorgeous brunette lounging on the bed, her full pouty lips and irresistible curves made concentration difficult. For more than an hour, he tried to ignore the urge to lie down next to Maliyah and caress her lush body. But control proved almost impossible. While he tinkered with his laptop and downloaded the photograph of Anat’s co-conspirator, his gaze continually sought her out. Even as he searched Expedia and booked a rental car and five-star hotel room in Elephantine, he couldn’t help but take note of the rise and fall of her heaving breasts. She was breathtaking. Serene and exquisitely beautiful.

  Ramses sighed, annoyed by the sudden erection he felt pulsing against the inside of his thigh. Thankfully, Maliyah remained peaceful and asleep. After all, she’d gone through hell and back the last few days. She didn’t deserve any of it. Not her father’s death or the subsequent threats to her life. Especially not a sex-starved vampire vying to get into her pants. Pushing himself up from the uncomfortable desk chair where he sat, Ramses tiptoed toward the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping woman. He propped himself up on his side. He used his fingers to sweep a stray tendril of her hair away and get a better glimpse of the angelic expression on her face.

  Soon Ramses’ eyes grew heavy, a consequence of the lack of sleep he had endured as of late. He’d been so busy researching the maid’s various indiscretions and making contact wi
th a private investigator that shut eye remained low on his list of priorities. The safety and comfort of the woman resting beside him had taken precedence.

  As weariness forced his body into slumber, Ramses’ last thoughts were of her. Never had a female gotten under his skin the way Maliyah had. In nearly a thousand years of existence, the opposite sex had proved nothing more than a passing fancy. He’d bedded plenty of willing women in his time, but none like Anwar’s vibrant, headstrong daughter. Even as a small child, the twinkle in her green-gold eyes and the dimple that accentuated her crooked grin had an inexplicable effect on him. Like almighty Cleopatra, Maliyah possessed the flawless beauty and grace to bring not only him, but all of Egypt to its knees in humble adoration.

  Chapter Ten

  The Island

  The shrill sound of a train whistle jostled Ramses awake. His body jerked forward of its own volition, drawing closer to Maliyah. The palm that had been resting against the flesh of her bare thigh became racked with pins and needles. Still his hand continued to explore, until it unexpectedly grazed the fabric of her floral print dress.

  Hmm. Sometime in the middle of the night, she managed to wrestle her clothes back into place.

  As Ramses’ insatiable need increased, Maliyah’s eyelashes fluttered open, revealing a pair of sexy, bedroom eyes. Drowsy and sinfully disheveled from their foreplay, her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip. Suddenly, all Ramses could think about was her mouth wrapped around his still-throbbing cock.

  Maliyah no doubt sensed his unbridled desire. However, the moment she reached out to touch him, the conductor’s loud voice made an announcement over the PA system.

  “Next stop…Aswan,” he shouted in Arabic.

  Ramses sprang from the bed, dragging Maliyah out of the bed. “We need to hurry. This is our stop.”