The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner by Holly Rayner Page 0,17
thought, and her mind was already playing tricks on her, so Lily banished it, telling herself it was a guest area and nothing more.
Regardless of the size of the space, the room had her feeling claustrophobic. For all the splendor, all the delicious cooking, Lily was still crushed under the weight of the fact that she could not leave those walls. How long would she have to walk around in the dark for fear of being discovered? And what had Atnan done that had forced him to do the same?
She set her brush down and braided her hair before pulling back the comforter and checking for any kinds of creepy-crawlies. When she was convinced that she wouldn’t be sharing a bed with any spiders, she snuggled beneath the comfortable spread, realizing it was nicer than any place she had ever stayed in her life.
Her body was exhausted. Her soul was spent. But still, her mind refused to stop racing. Thoughts of what Atnan could have done spun through her mind, weaving a web of tales that in no way could have been even close to reality.
Lily tried to get herself to sleep by imagining a beautiful waterfall and then by counting sheep, but no matter what she tried, her thoughts continued to dart back to Atnan—and what she would do after this little charade of safety came to an end.
Chapter Eight
At some point in the wee hours of the morning, Lily fell asleep only to have dreams of Atnan kissing her and then handcuffing her and placing her in the back of a police cruiser. Then, they were together again, making love in the palace before a barrage of police came in and pulled him away from her, tearing him from the room while she screamed.
When Lily woke to the early light of dawn, she was far from rested. Blinking back terrible images, along with vastly inappropriate ones, she threw the comforter off and padded to the veranda, grabbing a soft blanket on the way.
It was still cool that early in the morning, and she curled herself into a ball, her blanket wrapped around her as she stared out at the rising sun, creamy orange light pouring from the horizon. After a while, her stomach began to growl, and she decided she would venture down to the kitchen and perhaps find something to satisfy her demanding belly.
After setting the blanket down on one of the little sofas inside, Lily opened her door, staring out as though expecting someone to jump out at her any minute. When no one did, she took her time walking down the hallway, taking in the images of the paintings. She wondered who had painted them. Atnan had mentioned they were all by the same artist, but the way he had said it… Just how much influence had his mother had over the place?
When she reached the main entryway, she had generally gotten her bearings, and she headed toward the kitchen. Even before she got there, she heard pots and pans clanging.
When she opened the door, she saw Atnan at the kitchen sink in nothing but pajama pants, his muscular back to her. He was washing the dishes from the night before, but when he heard her enter, he turned, shutting off the faucet.
Lily swallowed.
His chest was chiseled in a way she had only ever seen in magazines. She’d had no idea men could actually have abs that looked like that. She realized she was staring and met his eyes. His expression was a combination of amusement and slight embarrassment.
“You’re up early,” he commented.
She stepped closer, meeting him at the sink with a shrug.
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“It wasn’t the mattress, I hope?”
“No. The room is quite comfortable. It’s just being trapped with no escape and no future that has me a little less than cheerful.”
Atnan frowned, and for a moment Lily regretted her words.
When he didn’t have an answer, she turned back toward the kitchen sink.
“If you keep washing, I can dry. You’ll just have to let me know where to put everything.”
He hesitated as though weighing something he wanted to say. With a sigh, he turned the faucet back on.
“Okay. Thanks,” he said.
They worked together to clean up the previous evening’s meal, Lily doing her best not to keep casting sideways glances at Atnan’s delectably bare skin. He was a combination of softness and strength, and her fingers were itching to run along the expanse of those abs. But Lily forced herself to simply dry