The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,12
no. You won’t be getting answers from me that easily. I have to know I can trust you before that information makes its way to the surface.”
“And how am I to trust you?”
He set a container of fresh beef on the counter and met her gaze, placing his palms flat on the large, wooden cutting board.
“I saved your life, didn’t I?”
Lily scoffed.
“I’d hardly say that. You certainly helped me, but do you really think I was near death?”
“You don’t know our police force,” he said, his tone ominous.
Lily’s eyes widened as she sat on a tall kitchen stool. Atnan opened the meat container and began pulling out jars of spices from a cabinet. He then looked up, saw her spooked expression, and laughed.
“Lily, I was kidding. They’re tough, yes, but they wouldn’t have harmed you. Here, try this and tell me what you think.”
He cut a slice of white cheese from a block on the counter and held it out to her. She stared at it and then back up at him.
“You are the strangest man I have ever met,” she told him.
Atnan grinned.
“You might not be surprised to know that I have heard that before. Now, try this. Go on.”
He held the slice of cheese out to her again, and she took it, careful not to touch his fingertips. She had learned early on that her body would react to him in ways it had never done before, and the risk was too great. Lily had no ties to this country. In fact, the place was trying to force her exit at that very moment. She shook her head gently, taking a bite.
The cheese was cool and salty, with a sharp, lingering aftertaste of almonds.
“Whoa! I’ve never tasted anything like this!”
Atnan smiled, pleased by her reaction.
“In Al Yibri, we have certain goats that thrive off and love almonds. Their milk and cheese maintain that flavor when produced. I was surprised that nowhere else in the world can you find a concoction quite like this.”
He cut one more slice and handed it to her before he placed the rest of the cheese in a pan and turned on a gas burner.
“What is that going to be?” Lily asked.
Grabbing a whisk, he poked the cheese as it began to melt into a sauce.
“Tonight I’m going to make you one of our specialties: spiced beef with an almond cheese sauce. I think you will find that the cheese offsets the spice nicely, making it a perfectly balanced dish.”
“That sounds heavenly,” Lily said, sighing, and Atnan turned away from the stove for a moment to look at her.
“Are you much of a chef?” he asked, and Lily laughed.
“Do you count boiling water and letting cheap noodles go soft in it as cooking?”
Atnan grinned.
“I’m sure in some ways it is. In any case, it provides sustenance.”
“Well, it does keep you alive, when there are no other options.”
“That is all you could eat?” he asked, his voice peppered with concern.
Lily blushed, embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to admit to her own poverty, but she had no reason to lie, either.
“I wasn’t exactly in the best place when I decided to move out here and start a new life,” she said.
Atnan turned fully then, facing her. He reached for a bottle of wine, popped the cork, and poured her a healthy glass before setting it before her on the counter.
“It would seem there is much about you I have yet to learn.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at him.
“I thought we weren’t in the way of show and tell around here?”
Atnan shrugged, turning back to the stove to sauté the beef in a large black pan. The smell coming from it was sensational.
Lily sipped her wine, unapologetically watching the back of him as she did so. The Sheikh seemed concerned for her well-being, but how could he be when, at the drop of a hat, he’d apparently turn her in to the authorities?
Atnan left the meat simmering as he opened the fridge and pulled out a series of vegetables, tossing them into a pan and sprinkling various spices over them. As Lily continued to watch, she realized it was the first time since meeting him that Atnan seemed truly relaxed. A sense of peace washed over the room, which was welcome after such a dramatic afternoon.
Lily took the last sip of her wine, and, as though he could sense that she was ready for a refill, Atnan turned and picked up the bottle, refilling her glass.
Lily laughed.
“You would have