The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,10

taken her away from such a place to this? It was as though she had been whisked off into another world, sands of time swirling around as the wind playfully picked them up and carried them across the surrounding dunes.

She spent the rest of the afternoon staring out at those dunes, contemplating her situation and what she would do. Frustrated, she slammed her hand against the wicker only to pull it back with a hiss. A large splinter protruded from her palm, and she winced as she tugged it out, cursing under her breath. Would nothing work in her favor today?

There was a knock at her door, and Lily turned, staring at it for a moment.

She knew who was there. Who else could it be but her savior and captor?

She let him wait a moment before rising. She cast one last baleful glance at the darkening sky over the sand before turning back to the door and placing her hand on the knob. After taking a breath and then releasing it, she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

Her breath escaped her entirely.

Atnan had changed for the evening. Instead of his traditional garb of flowing robes, he now sported a gray tailored suit that molded perfectly to his body. His broad shoulders were well-defined underneath his suit jacket, his crisp white shirt contrasting with his olive skin in a way that made it look perfectly delectable.

Lily swallowed.

“Well, it’s nice to see you also have access to clean clothing,” she said, trying for casual.

He grinned, and her heart fluttered, which made her instantly annoyed.

This was not a man to get all schoolgirlish with! He was a Sheikh, yes, but until she could figure him out, there was no use in allowing her attraction to win out. A handsome man could be just as evil as anyone else, and she reminded herself of that fact even as she fought to keep her eyes from devouring his body…from focusing entirely on his perfectly kissable mouth.

Lily cursed at herself for not getting out more. She had been without a man’s affection for so long, she felt like a starved woman before a feast. How long would she be able to resist?

And besides, she was assuming he would be a willing participant. Not to mention the fact that he had threatened to have her jailed several times in the past few hours.

Lily frowned. She had let her body get the best of her mind, a weakness that had lasted but a moment. Her head was back in control, and she stepped back even though Atnan made no move to touch her.

“I do. In fact, there is a whole closetful of clothing in your room that should be serviceable. I encourage you to make use of it. I can show you where the washer and dryer are for when you’d like to use them.”

“Much appreciated, Your Highness,” she said, her tone scathing.

Atnan stared at her, his eyebrows creasing.

“I understand that you are frustrated with your situation, Lily. I would point out that it is not entirely my fault that you are in it, but that would be bad form. Instead, allow me to prepare a dinner for you as a gesture of good will. Perhaps we can overcome the seriousness of our situation over a hot meal and some wine.”

“You also have a store of wine here? This might be the most luxurious case of glamping I’ve ever come across.”

“What is glamping?” he asked, confused.

Lily almost laughed, but then she remembered she was mad at the Sheikh for keeping her there, and at herself for getting into the situation at all. He wasn’t wrong, after all. This was almost entirely her own fault. If she hadn’t been so reckless and stupid, if she had just thought before she’d acted…

No. There was no use in those kinds of thoughts.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast that morning. While she was upset and felt totally lost, she had to agree that food was something her body needed in that moment. Looking the Sheikh up and down again, she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“Is there a dress code for this dinner party? You seem to have cleaned up a bit.”

“Oh, you noticed?” he asked with a gentle smile.

Lily continued to frown even as her lips fought her every step of the way. She wanted to smile back up at him. She wanted to wrap her arms around his shoulders