Craved

Renee:

Before she lost her nerve, Renee downed the Serbet. Cold and fruity, but not as delicious as Damon's kisses. The courtyard stirred with the dervishes milling about with the tourists and their archeological group, answering questions. She shivered, his free hand trailing spirals along her palm. Despite her head screaming how in a few weeks she'd leave, and he'd continue on living her dream, she let her heart tip the scale. "Ready for more?" His breath whispered across her temple.

"Serbet? It's good, but it's making me cold." Above her, a night sky crowded with stars appeared like a different planet compared to the handful of stars back home in the city. "Ready for a walk?"

She nodded and rose, taking his hand. They wandered closer to the fountain. Water trickled into the bowl-like display and lights glowed from underneath the water.

"Then we should warm you up." His words were seductive and made her stumble.

"Here? But there are tons of people watching."

"I had dancing in mind, but we can go with your idea if you'd rather." He kissed her cheek.

"No." Did my voice raise an octave? "I love dancing."

Damon thanked the musicians, then grasped her hand and led her to the center of the courtyard near the fountain where they'd been caught kissing. "Now, the dervishes don't normally do this, but I've many friends and connections here." He smiled down at Renee and warmth spread through her. "So, they're going to give a quick lesson and we may dance or spin to one song after their instruction. Not to be undone," he led her to the caravanserais' lobby doors, "Mistress Liana will represent native women's dancing and offer a class and dance for those who wish to participate."

Native dancing? He had gone over the top with the opportunity of everyone to whirl with the dervishes, but he paid for an instructor of belly dancing as well? Renee clapped her hands as she spun toward the lobby. The doors opened and several belly dancers in crimson, emerald and turquoise strolled out.

When Damon glanced at her, Renee realized she'd squeezed his hand. She'd tried belly dance videos, but she believed she'd have better luck imitating an old Jerry Lewis movie and not the seductive, graceful moves. "Are you pleased?" he asked.

"Very." She beamed. "This is the best surprise."

"I hoped to make this evening worth your while."

Previously, she'd thought he spoke of their kissing or more. Yet, he remembered her mention of how she not only liked the Whirling Dervishes, but she liked any type of dancing. His thoughtfulness and kindness thrilled her. Was he as attracted to her as she was to him? A thrill zipped through her down to her toes. But he was a player, and she'd only get her heart trampled. Stop it! For once, enjoy yourself even if it's only for tonight.

In the background, musicians played while each dervish gathered up five or six people to show them how to whirl in their mystical dance.

"One hand points upward as if reaching for the divine." The man held up his left arm. "The other, toward the ground. Do not worry if you get dizzy-close your eyes and try again. Soon you will not only be whirling away from your earthly concerns, but toward the Divine."

"You ready?" Damon asked suddenly closer to her than he'd been a moment ago.

"Yup, just nervous about tripping. Never spun with my eyes closed except when I was a kid."

"We'll all be too busy not falling to notice. Relax and enjoy the experience."

"Let your arms be loose, not so rigid," the dervish said to Travis.

Renee scrambled to have her arms in the right position as the man inspected her form, then Damon's.

"Ready?" he asked as the man nodded to the musicians and they began a slowly building rhythmic song. "Close your eyes and give in to the music."

"Let your head tilt as you turn," one of the dervishes said from behind her.

Without letting her nerves get the better of her, she squeezed her eyes shut and slowly spun. As a teacher, she could speak to a room of rowdy, unimpressed teens, but spinning until the bile rose in her throat next to a man who stole her breath was more exhilarating than anything she'd ever done before. Not even the bungee jump her best friend talked her into when they visited the Golden Gate Bridge last year left her as breathless.

Soon, the music drowned out the sound of the others. Pounding her feet on the ground drowned out her cares, stomping them into the dirt. Her worries released. She could do this. Spin forever. Her heel tripped on something, she opened her eyes, and nearly crashed face first into the ground and tasted dirt before strong hands caught her. Damon. She couldn't move. Everything around them faded away until it was just the two of them.

"Sorry, guess I spun too close to you." His breathing was fast, and the firelight lit his dark eyes.

Would he kiss her again? Yearning for his touch, she pushed aside the notion of kissing him until they both panted for breath and need. She laughed with the others as they continued spinning until the song ended. Her vision still wobbled from her whirling. Damon kept his arm around her waist, and she released a contented sigh.

"Thank you," she said to their dervish instructor as he skimmed past the crowd.

He nodded. When Travis snagged Damon's elbow to tell him something, the dervish bent and whispered in Renee's ear, "Be careful of colorful snakes. Their beauty traps their prey until the poison hits." She followed his gaze to Damon. "Okay," was all she could think to say. Apparently, he didn't like Damon. Not many people did when he was being arrogant. Did this man know Damon from other visits? Had he brought other women here or Belinda? "Ready for part two?" Damon asked, his meaning curling around her like warm caramel.

A lead weight settled in her gut. Not only from the dervish's words, but the idea of gyrating in front of Damon and the others. "Um, not sure about more dancing."

If it were just women, she'd be first in line, but the idea of him watching made her self-conscious, and she fidgeted with the edge of her shirt. Spinning was one thing; belly dancing was a whole other category. "Come on. You'll do fine." His wicked grin broke out a dimple on one side of his cheek made her knees weak. "I'd love to watch you dance, but only if you aren't comfortable or afraid."

Mistress Liana, with a turquoise sequined bra, and matching belly dancing pants that hung low on her hips and cymbals on her hands, tugged Renee out of the crowd and dragged her to an open spot where Sarah, Carla, and two other women she didn't know waited. The participants were handed a beaded skirt and matching top. Everyone put on their costume. Renee's stretched tight across her breast and hips.

"I'll show you, then you follow." Liana rocked her hips back and forth. "Loosen up. Remember, your body represents the Divine Feminine. Belly dancing was done for women and by women for centuries in preparation for labor, birthing a child, and sex."

Renee concentrated on mimicking Liana as she popped her hip to one side and then the other as if she slammed a refrigerator door closed.

"Very good." The instructor changed to hip circles, stirring to the right, back, front, then left and repeated the movements. "Now wide circles and stretch those tight muscles. Even though this sacred dance was for women only, we soon learned men enjoy watching." She nodded over to a group of men.

Even though scantily clad belly dancers and women more fit and beautiful than her danced and shimmied, Damon's eyes never left her, making her nervous, thrilled, and warm all over.

"Now let's try the next step." Liana clinked her cymbals together. "In a few minutes, when we do our dance, don't worry about the steps. Let your body move how it wishes and imagine your lover watching you in appreciation and anticipation."

How does my body want to move? What did that mean? If it were up to her body, without her mind and control, it would probably rip off her clothes and pounce on Damon. She chuckled at the thought. When the ladies around her twisted toward her stifled laugh, she cringed.

Great, what was the first step again? She was going to lose it and mess up big time. Why had she agreed to perform in front of everyone? Especially Damon.

Too soon for Renee's liking, their group performed. The others did a marvelous job, considering many, like her, never had belly dance lessons. The musicians started with the drums, and Renee panicked. What was the next step again? She debated glancing behind her to find out what the other women were doing. Why did she agree to be in the front row? Damon appeared as if a spotlight were on only him, the others around him darkened in shadows. He clapped to the music, and his hip popped in time with the beat.

Right. She followed his actions, concentrating. Then he did tiny hip circles, but she knew the group would make these larger. When he shimmied his shoulders forward and back, Renee laughed out loud, then let loose. She could do this. Didn't matter if she got the steps wrong or that she filled out her belly dance costume more than the skinny girls-just have fun. And thankfully, the cloth had some give in it and hadn't ripped. Tension rolled off her as she swayed her hips. He froze, as though mesmerized.

Faster and faster the music made her feet pound to their rhythm. Heat coiled through her, and she yearned for Damon's hands on her while she danced. She imagined him moving beside her, in her.

When she opened her eyes, his gaze was full of lust and longing, and it took her breath away. Then a dark shadow loomed over him. What the hell? A giant bat? She pointed and screamed, "Look out!" The shadow rushed forward, knocking her down. Claws tore through her back sending searing pain through her, and she lost consciousness.