Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,15

She used the man’s title with only a touch of sarcasm, remembering that the servants and guards loved their leader.

“I believe he is in the gym, ma’am,” the servant replied with a small curtsy.

Harper headed into the area where she suspected the gym would be. Personally, she hated exercising, even though she preached it to the rest of the world. Yeah, exercise was good for the heart and the mind. But she hated sweating! She hated gyms in general and the smell, feel, and judgement of the other occupants. Then again, Harper also hated the feeling she had every night when she stepped into her house, exhausted from a long day of work that was compounded by the rush of guilt she felt when she had to once again berate herself for not finding time in her schedule to run like a gerbil on a treadmill.

It further infuriated her that the man who was so busy running a country, could still find time to exercise but he couldn’t share a meal with two little girls who were confused and in pain, lonely and desperate for any sort of human affection.

If she hadn’t been so furious, she would have realized that this gym was bigger and scarier than any other gym she’d seen. The equipment didn’t look like anything she’d seen before and was far too complicated for her exercise-phobic mind.

But she focused on finding “His Highness”. So when her gaze lit on the ginormous weights going up and down, she knew that she’d located her prey.

“You!” she snapped.

Immediately, several guards straightened and stepped forward. Amit stopped and looked at her, his hand lifting to halt his guards. The guards stopped, but they clearly didn’t like it. Nor did they like that she was disrespecting their employer and leader.

Amit sat up on the bench press machine, his muscles aching from the strain. “And a good day to you as well, Doctor Ross. What have I done wrong today?” Amit asked as he watched her approach. Did the gorgeous woman do anything at a normal pace? Her walk across the gym looked like she was about to attack. His guards thought so as well.

Amit chuckled, shaking his head at her defiance. Grabbing a towel, he rubbed it across his sweat-drenched face as he waited for her approach.

“How is it that you have plenty of time to…” she gestured at the surrounding equipment, “…do whatever that is, but you can’t find the time to share a meal with your nieces?”

He looked at her as if she’d just told him that they were dining with gorillas or something equally outrageous. “A meal? Aren’t they eating in the nursery?” he asked, glancing at the clock over the door.

She huffed a bit, throwing her arms up in the air. “Yes!”

He waited, trying to figure out why she was so upset. “And…I should be eating with them?” he prompted. “In the nursery?” He almost laughed at the idea.

Doctor Harper Ross, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes with exasperation. “Yes! In the nursery or, even better, in the dining room with these other mysterious aunts and uncles! Family meals are the best way to connect,” she explained. “Eating together, sitting down for a meal, allows everyone to share their days together. Breakfast is a way for you to ask the girls what they anticipate might happen during the day, what lessons they are looking forward to, what they might dread. It also demonstrates good eating habits. They’ll eat what you eat and you can talk to them about good nutrition.”

“I believe I hired a very capable nanny to do that for me.”

Harper bent down, poking her finger against his chest. Obviously, she didn’t mind the sweat-soaked shirt. Unfortunately, Amit couldn’t help but notice the sweet smell of her shampoo.

“They don’t need a hired servant. They need you!” she explained through gritted teeth and poking him with every other word.

Amit stood up slowly, watching her eyes as her head fell back with his height. “First of all, that nanny came to us highly recommended. And secondly,” he took her hand, his fingers encircling her wrist, absently noting the delicate bones and the rapidly beating pulse at her wrist. “If you ever poke me again,” he lowered his head so that their noses were almost touching, “I’m going to show you a much better way for you to use those fingers when you’re touching me.”

They stood there for a long moment, staring into each other’s eyes. He noticed her