Lynx to the Pharaoh Read online

  “Easy,” he whispered, wriggling his fingers in a special way that made her bite her bottom lip to stem her cry of delight. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to explore and give you pleasure. Is that all right with you, Charlotte?”

  “I…um…yes.” She wanted more of this sensation. She shouldn’t be afraid. Embrace the naughtiness because she would never have another chance like this. “Please don’t stop.”

  “I won’t stop,” he promised, the corners of his eyes crinkling in silent amusement.

  One slender finger slipped through the slit in her drawers. He stroked the length of her cleft, dancing his fingers across her nub. Charlotte released her breath on a gasp. A shivered worked the length of her body. His touch felt so good, made her heart beat faster and her quim moisten. Her body’s reaction brought a renewed rush of color to her cheeks. While it might be embarrassing, she couldn’t regret this tryst. When she returned to London, she would lose this sort of freedom. She lifted her hips, silently pleading for more. Her eyelids closed, leaving Charlotte adrift in a world of pure sensation.

  “Do you like the way I touch you, Charlotte?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. His finger circled her clitoris and shifted lower. He inserted a finger into her damp, feminine flesh. A squelch sounded, loud and undignified.

  Charlotte flinched, her eyes flying open in consternation. George had liked to couple in complete silence with the lights off and removal of minimal clothing. He had never made her wet like this.

  Sethmet laughed. “Do not feel embarrassed. You want my cock inside you. This is a good thing, my sweet, because it means our bodies will fit together perfectly. It pleases me very much. You please me.”

  He splayed her legs and bent over her. Charlotte wasn’t sure what he intended. Her heart pounded and she tried to wriggle away.

  “Stay,” he whispered in his husky voice. “Let me taste you. Let me pleasure you.”

  Charlotte thought her heart might thump out of her chest as she glanced at Sethmet. His dark head bent and he stared at her spread legs. His finger thrust inside her again, an unhurried stroke across sensitive skin. Charlotte swallowed, aware, now more than ever, of possible discovery. Yet she couldn’t stop. Halting was the last thing she wanted.

  Then he licked across her tender flesh, dragging his tongue over her nub and setting fire to her nerves. A blaze of sensation arced through her veins. Charlotte bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the unladylike moan trembling at the back of her throat. Sethmet raked his tongue across her bud again.

  “Let go, Charlotte. Come for me.” He cupped her bottom, lifting her to his mouth and sucking gently.

  Instant pleasure shook her. “Sethmet.” Sweet agony spilled over Charlotte. She convulsed, a violent spasm of sensation streaking down her legs to the tips of her toes.

  When she stilled, Sethmet lifted his head and smiled at her, a grin of supreme masculine satisfaction. “Tonight, Charlotte, we will disrobe and explore each other. We will touch and kiss. Tonight, will be even better than this.”

  Charlotte wasn’t sure about that. How could he make her feel even better than she did now?

  Chapter Three

  Charlotte walked at Sethmet’s side, intensely aware of their physical and mental closeness. The terracotta glow of the rocks near the dunes, the green of the plants surrounding the lake seemed brighter, the rich, loamy scent of the soil around the lake, the dryness of the sand and Sethmet’s sandalwood musk richer and more intoxicating than before.

  The plaintive grunts of camels filled the air when their masters bade them sit. A number of workers scurried around the campsite while members of William’s group finished breaking their fast and sauntered off to their tents.

  “Charlotte, where have you been?” William glared from his post outside the equipment tent.

  “I was awake early and decided to take a walk. Mr. Khalil met me by the lake and escorted me back to camp.”

  Charlotte hoped he didn’t notice anything amiss with her appearance. She’d tidied and fastened her hair with a strip of cloth. Sethmet had assured her she looked beautiful, but even so, she hoped evidence of what they’d been doing wasn’t emblazoned across her face. Her stepbrother, as much as she loved him, liked to mix with those in his social circles. According to him, servants were there to serve and should remain in the background the rest of the time.

  “I wish to leave in half an hour,” William said, directing his displeasure at Sethmet.

  “I am prepared to leave. I will check to make sure all else is in readiness.” Sethmet bent from the waist in a subservient manner that drew a frown from Charlotte. An act. If ever a man was born to lead it was Sethmet, yet he was acting the role of servant. Uneasily, she wondered why he denied his education before deciding, in this particular case, the less attention he drew from William the better.

  Sethmet dipped his head with a courteous nod and retreated, leaving Charlotte and her stepbrother alone.

  “You mustn’t wander away from the camp on your own. It’s not safe with the savages who roam the desert.”

  Charlotte disagreed but knew better than to verbalize her opinion. “Where are we going today?” Anticipation stirred inside at the thought of exploring more of this mysterious land. And Sethmet, she thought wickedly. She couldn’t wait to explore his muscular body, paying close attention to detail.

  “We ride to explore the ancient ruins to the west of the oasis.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Charlotte said. “I must get my sketchbook.” Unfortunately her paints were gone, no doubt buried beneath the sand. Sketches would have to suffice until she found a way to purchase new supplies.

  Half an hour later, Sethmet helped Charlotte and the men of the party clamber aboard their camels. The train moved off with much protest from the animals called the ships of the desert. A laugh escaped Charlotte as she rolled from side to side and backward and forward almost as if she sat in a rocking chair. The beasts were not unpleasant to ride but they never ceased their noisy protests.

  At the head of the column, Sethmet halted his camel and allowed the others to move ahead after indicating the direction they needed to travel. When Charlotte rode past, he nudged his camel into a walk beside her.

  “Was your brother angry at you for leaving the camp?” he asked in a low undertone.

  “He was worried,” Charlotte said.

  Sethmet looked across at her, his eyes glowing with an inner light. “You are safe here. No harm will come to you.”

  Charlotte blinked, finding the intense golden light of his eyes mesmerizing. Her breasts seemed tender while between her legs ached for the pleasure she knew he could give her. Like an opium addict craving another pipe, she wanted Sethmet’s full possession.

  Charlotte wished they were alone. With William in this difficult mood, it would be hard to escape for private moments with Sethmet. A secretive grin swept across her lips. Hard but not impossible.

  After riding the camels for half an hour, the ruins appeared as a dot on the horizon. The sun beat down strongly despite the fact it was still early morning.

  “We should reach the ruins before midday to shelter from the worst of the sun,” Sethmet said, reading her mind.

  Charlotte wiped her brow, wondering why she’d taken the time to wash and change gowns before they’d left when she felt grubby already. At least her straw hat kept the worst of the sun off her face, but she feared freckles would appear soon. She glanced over at Sethmet and tried in vain not to blush. After the intimacies they’d shared, she should have hidden in shame. Instead, Charlotte couldn’t wait for the night to arrive so she could explore Sethmet’s body as he’d explored hers.

  “William said we’d spend the day exploring and not start back until late in the afternoon when it is cooler.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to sketch the ruins.”

  “I hope I’m able to walk after riding a camel again. The ride to the oasis was bad enough.” She patted the jewel-bright rug
she sat atop. “I think I need more layers.”

  Sethmet laughed out loud, attracting a frown from her stepbrother. “I promise to massage your aches away with special oils. I’ll enjoy it.” His voice was low. Intimate. And it sent a shudder of desire skimming across her breasts and speeding to her lower belly. “So will you.”

  Charlotte concentrated on the steadily growing dot before them. If she focused on Sethmet, she knew she’d give away her growing infatuation. William wouldn’t approve. Charlotte frowned at the thought. For some reason, he seemed intent on pushing her toward his friend Justin. While the man was polite, his company genial, he didn’t interest Charlotte that way. Besides, her period of mourning wouldn’t end for several months, and she was in no hurry to find a man. She should feel guilty about her involvement with Sethmet yet she couldn’t—not when he made her feel alive. Excited.

  William glanced over his shoulder and gestured in an imperious manner at Sethmet.

  “Duty calls,” Sethmet said with dry humor. He guided his camel to the head of the train and waited for William to warn him away from Charlotte.

  “Tell me about the ruins. Have they been explored?” William’s eyes narrowed. “Excavated?”

  “Patria Oasis is isolated,” Sethmet said. “We don’t have many visitors and the surrounding sites are undisturbed.”

  “So we will be the first?” William’s voice grew sharp with excitement. “The first white men to explore the area?”

  Sethmet shrugged. The man could interpret that in any way he wished. Several of the villagers who worked in the English camp as cooks and porters had approached Sethmet, complaining of the way the two Englishmen interrogated them about the ruins in the area and history of the oasis. Most pretended they didn’t understand English and he didn’t blame them. A high percentage of the occupants of the Patria Oasis spoke English because of their association with his family.

  “That is correct.” Sethmet’s gut told him the man had a hidden purpose. He didn’t trust the avarice in the Englishmen’s eyes when they questioned him about the sites.

  “You said there are other sites. Tell me about them.”

  Sethmet stiffened inside at the order, although he took care not to change his expression. “There are others,” he acknowledged. “Most are in good condition and accessible. Some of the older ones are decayed.”

  “I want to visit them all.”

  Sethmet inclined his head. “As you wish.” He could show the Englishman enough sites to keep him busy for months, perhaps years. However, the pharaoh’s tomb would remain undisturbed. His family was proud of the shapeshifter powers bestowed on them by the pharaoh. They wouldn’t part with the honor lightly, besides failure to protect meant unleashing the curse. A shiver walked Sethmet’s spine when he thought of the evil curse. One mistake would be disastrous for his entire family.

  Years ago, when his grandfather wore the cloak of protector, two men—traitors—had the life sucked out of them by the spirit who aided his family in keeping the pharaoh safe. Witnesses still spoke of the day in hushed whispers. The local children listened awestruck to the tale of when the traitors crumpled, their bodies desiccated and crumbling until they faded to nothing. Sethmet suspected the story had grown with the telling, but he held healthy respect for the pharaoh’s powers. Death had not diminished them.

  “My sister wishes to draw instead of exploring with the rest of us.”

  “I will arrange for a servant to help her,” Sethmet said.

  The Englishman’s face had turned red in the sun and sweat dripped down his face. He slapped at a buzzing insect, his snarl of irritation startling his camel into a raucous protest. “How much longer?”

  Sethmet smothered his amusement at the man’s obvious discomfort. It would get worse by the end of the day, especially since there was no treasure here. “Ten minutes.”

  William had requested two separate parties and guides so they could cover the large site. This suited Sethmet. He arranged two of his most trusted workers to guide a group each through the temple ruins and the outlying buildings. Hopefully, they would keep William busy for several hours, leaving him alone with Charlotte.

  Each group would assume he was with the other one, or at least that was the plan.

  “Your stepbrother seems determined to see every site,” Sethmet murmured, watching as the men and their helpers drifted after the guides.

  Charlotte shrugged and picked up the satchel containing her drawing materials. “William spends a lot of time in Egypt. It has always interested him.”

  Sethmet directed Charlotte toward an avenue of sphinxes leading to a crumbling temple. The majestic beasts seemed to watch when they strolled past and stepped into the cool shade of the temple.

  “Exploring?” The man’s reputation as a tomb robber preceded him, but Sethmet wanted to know if Charlotte was involved. It would make a difference. Tension built inside while he waited for her reply.

  A frown puckered her smooth brow and she hesitated. “I don’t really know.” An uncertain laugh escaped her, drawing Sethmet’s attention to her pink lips. “Strange as it is, I’ve never really asked. I know he brings back a lot of souvenirs whenever he returns to London.”

  And sells them at a great profit, Sethmet thought.

  The robbers pilfered the tombs, dragging the dead back from the afterlife, setting their spirits on an aimless journey in the world between. During life, the pharaoh had shared an affinity with the caracal, and the respect remained even though he now lived at rest in the afterworld. Together they worked to allow the dead the peace they’d earned in the afterlife.

  “Would you like to set up here?” Sethmet asked as they stepped into a shady courtyard on the other side of the temple.

  The friezes on the walls depicted cobras and figures of the gods in intense blue, green, red, yellow and browns. They dazzled the eye.

  “This is perfect,” she murmured, glancing around with a trace of awe. “It’s so beautiful I don’t know where to start. I only hope my skills do the scene justice.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Sethmet helped her set up her easel and chair. He brushed a kiss across her cheek then straightened. “I’ll bring you some water and food, but first I must check all is well with the others.”

  “Thank you.” Charlotte smiled.

  “I won’t be long.” Sethmet strode away to double-check the Englishmen were busy and would remain so for several hours. He hoped Charlotte worked quickly because he had a few scenarios in mind and they involved nakedness. His and hers. The heavy sensation in his loins brought a groan. Charlotte Webster had burrowed beneath his skin in a way no other woman had managed. Maybe it was her independence or maybe it was the way she called him kitty while showing not a shred of fear. He smiled ruefully. Charlotte took liberties no one else dared.

  Sethmet attached himself to William’s group, joining in time to answer one of the man’s questions.

  “This pyramid isn’t like the ones we saw at Giza. Why are you taking us to this one? It doesn’t even look like it’s finished,” William said.

  “Elders in our village believe these are earlier versions of the Giza pyramids,” Sethmet answered with a glance at the pyramid. Unlike the Giza pyramids with their triangular shape, these ones changed angle toward the top giving them a bent appearance. Hence the name bent pyramids. “The designs weren’t perfected until those built at Giza.”

  “And you’re sure no one has explored them?”

  “There are so many areas to explore, so many temples within Egypt,” Sethmet said. “And as I said earlier, our oasis is isolated. We do not see many visitors.”

  They circled the base of the pyramid and finally came to an opening. Sand covered most of it, creating a miniature sand hill at the side of the construction.

  “Light the torches,” William ordered.

  One of the servants handed him a rush torch and William shone the light so it illuminated the dark area beyond.

  “Bring the spades,” Will
iam shouted. “I wish to explore the interior.”

  The man had taken the bait. Sethmet hid his satisfaction, lighting a second torch and handing it to one of his men. Several other men dug away the encroaching sand from the small opening. Inside a maze of corridors and rooms, designed to confuse tomb robbers, would keep William occupied for hours. The pharaoh had ordered them built while still alive and had buried members of his faithful servants here. Once each part of the burial chamber was full, he’d ordered the addition of the corridors and rooms. The dead were safe, despite William’s presence. He would eventually interpret the hieroglyphs emblazoned on the walls and decide this pyramid held no secrets.

  Satisfied William’s attention was on his explorations, Sethmet left to check on Justin. He found the Englishman crawling into a passage, previously filled with sand. Sethmet stilled, calling up his feline senses. Nothing about the man’s search alarmed the pharaoh, and Sethmet relaxed in the knowledge he would also be busy for several hours chasing a dead end. Nodding at his men, he murmured several instructions to the man he’d placed in charge.

  Anticipation hummed through him with every step he took back toward Charlotte. This time they could disrobe and touch each other as they wanted to touch.

  Rounding a corner, he spied her, and when he moved closer, he smelled her lilac scent. She didn’t hear him coming, her concentration solely on the soaring columns, the colorful friezes and painted figures of the temple and her sketch. He smiled on seeing the frown between her eyes and the tip of her pink tongue poking through her lips. His heart skipped a beat and he longed to free her hair, dragging out each hairclip until the ebony locks hung around her shoulders like a silky scarf.

  “Charlotte.”

  “Oh!” She started, the charcoal snapping when she squeezed it too hard in her fright. “Sethmet. I didn’t hear you approach me.”

  He studied her sketch. With a few lines she’d managed to depict the graceful curves of the columns. “Do you draw people?” he asked.

  Her blue eyes widened before her mouth lifted in a slow smile. “My governess used to tell me my strength lay in drawing people. Would you sit for me?”