Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,45

become too melancholy. “I prefer vanilla cake.”

He stood up, and took both girls hands in his. “Vanilla? That’s so…boring.”

She grinned and grabbed a bottle of canola oil. “Vanilla is delicious,” she countered, not meeting his gaze, although her cheeks heated under the weight of his gaze. She still couldn’t reconcile her frantic, desperate actions last night with her normal life. Harper just…she wasn’t that kind of a sexual being!

A dark eyebrow lifted and she knew that he’d noticed her blush. Harper concentrated on pouring the cake mix into the bowl.

“It’s safe and tedious, without any excitement. Chocolate though! That’s the best kind of cake.”

Amit brought the right amount of water, then measured out the oil, adding both to the bowl.

Nervously, she laughed, trying to get into the spirit of the moment while still disagreeing with him. “Nope. You’re wrong. Vanilla is the best. Chocolate is overwhelming.”

He chuckled as he moved behind her and she shivered, glancing at the twins, but they were eagerly stirring the cake batter. “I thought you preferred overwhelming,” he teased, his voice low and sexy.

Harper glanced back at him sharply, surprised by the sensuous note in his voice. Sure enough, as soon as their eyes clashed, she saw the heat in his eyes.

There was a moment…a long, intense moment…while they stared at each other, both wishing she’d stayed in his bed this morning.

A loud clatter of pans broke the tension and Harper jerked back to the present. Looking around, she noticed that Ellora and Elsa were staring up at her expectantly.

“Right! Cake!” She pointed to the carton of eggs. “Open that up and we need to put two eggs into the bowl.” Amit chuckled as he left the kitchen, unaware of, or maybe just unconcerned by, her glare.

But as he pushed through the doors, she caught his wink, telling her that he was fully aware of her irritation. He chuckled and disappeared.

“What do we do next?” Elsa asked.

Harper ripped her gaze away from the kitchen door, returning her attention to the cake making process. “Can you grab a measuring cup?”

An hour later, the cooled cakes were sitting on a cake decorating platform. It was a small spinning platform that allowed them to twirl the cake while applying the frosting.

“Oh, this is going to be good!” The girls beamed as they dunked the offset knife into the frosting, adding another thick layer to the mostly covered cake. Harper grinned at the chef who stood off to the side, wringing his hands in horror at the cake. It was lopsided and had so much frosting that it was coming apart slightly. Plus, the girls kept retouching the top, which pulled at the frosting, causing the top layer of the cake to crumble.

“Isn’t that enough frosting?” she finally asked.

“NO!” they replied in unison, laughing as they added even more frosting. “I think we should bring a piece of cake to Uncle Amit!” Elsa announced.

“And Uncle Gaelen and Uncle Tarin,” Ellora added, always the peacekeeper.

Ellora agreed. “What about Aunt Talia?” she asked, and Elsa’s worried eyes looked up at Harper. “Should we bring some to Aunt Talia? She doesn’t eat a lot though.”

Harper smiled gently at the two girls. “I think we should offer cake to the whole family, and if there are any leftovers, maybe we could offer some to your tutor and nanny? I suspect that they’d enjoy some cake. And perhaps we could give some cake to the ladies who clean your rooms?”

Elsa and Ellora shared a glance, their grins widening. “Yes!”

Harper felt proud that the girls were eager to share their cake with everyone, both family and their caretakers. It was a big step for the girls.

One of the kitchen staff helped them slice the cake and place it on delicate china plates, and the servant carried the plate filled tray, starting with a delivery to Amit’s office.

Rashid watched them approach with confusion in his eyes, which quickly turned to delight when he listened to their explanation. “I believe that His Highness has the next five minutes free,” he said, clapping his hands as he led the small entourage into Amit’s office. Elsa snuck a piece of cake onto the man’s desk while he wasn’t looking, then raced ahead, pretending as if she hadn’t just done something incredibly sweet and generous.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Rashid announced, stepping aside so that Amit could see his nieces. “Princess Elsa and Princess Ellora are here to offer you a treat.”

Elsa moved forward, her eyes nervous as she stared up