The Sheikh's Pregnant Wife - Leslie North Page 0,7

he’d wanted to do the same thing. But he’d stopped—he’d stopped.

“It’s a ruse that’s worth it.” Yaseen bent down and kissed her. Here, away from the palace, nothing weighed on him. Not the impending divorce, and not what anyone thought of him for having a fling with an American “commoner”—none of it. All that mattered was that they were together and hidden from view. It loosened something at the center of him—something that kept him hyper-aware, at all times, that the public was watching. That his family was watching, if only to see if he’d make a mistake.

Gorgeous Kara tipped her face toward his and kissed him back. Why hadn’t he done this in the car or the helicopter? What had he been waiting for all this time? He brushed his tongue along her bottom lip, and the kiss deepened. Kara pulled him in close. The guard stayed put.

4

“Ready?”

Yaseen appeared at the doorway to the big walk-in closet in the master suite, freshly showered. His dark eyes flickered down her body, and Kara’s cheeks heated. That kiss. She could not stop thinking about the kiss behind the ruins. Yaseen had to be the most frustrating man she’d ever been involved with. He kept things so cool, so professional, and then that heat came to his eyes and all bets were off.

“Yes,” she said, putting her second earring in. They were tiny sapphires to match the blue of her dress. Yaseen had furnished her with an entire maternity wardrobe, including the sheath dresses she favored for work at Community Connections. “I’m ready.”

Kara was also ready for Yaseen to take her back behind those ruins and kiss her again. As much as she tried to focus on the impending meeting, it was all she could think about as they rode to the helipad. Cid waited for them next to the helicopter, looking only slightly nervous. He was the official representative of the design-build firm in charge of the project’s construction, and he shook hands firmly, his eyes steady on Kara’s. Yaseen fired off a question about the budget for the site, Cid answered, and the two of them were off to the races.

She should not get hung up on Yaseen. Their marriage wasn’t a real relationship, and it wasn’t meant to be one. It was far more prudent to keep her feelings contained and at a neat distance from Yaseen. Her body, however, had other plans. Every inch of her wanted more of his touch. She found herself leaning toward him almost unconsciously and straightened, focusing on his face. Another mistake. Yaseen’s face was a masterpiece—strong jaw, fiery dark eyes, and full lips. She knew exactly how those lips felt against hers. She wanted those lips against hers. Maybe she could focus on the buttons of his shirt. No, that only drew her attention to his muscles. He had an impressive set of muscles. Very impressive.

Kara swallowed hard. The man in front of her was so different from the man who had worked her over in bed six months ago. If it weren’t for yesterday’s kiss, she’d think he was a completely different person.

As if he sensed her thoughts, he looked at her. Kara shut out the thought of his ripped, muscular body moving above her own. What had they been talking about? She had no idea.

“It’s time.” Yaseen placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her into the helicopter. That single touch ignited all her memories, bringing them roaring back to the forefront of her mind.

She took a deep breath and settled into her seat. Now wasn’t the time. The helicopter lifted off, taking them soaring above the site.

“You’ll notice that there are several ruins at the outskirts of where the complex will be.” Below them, a small team of people were marking the boundaries of the lot with flags. “The ruins will be incorporated near the entrance. Everything else about the facility is modern.”

“Is there an extra cost to incorporating the ruins?”

“More than a building on a blank lot, yes,” said Cid. “But the costs would have been the same for any other site with natural features.”

“So the spend on those designs won’t be an obstacle to recouping the investment?”

“A little harder,” said Cid. Kara wanted to reach out and put her hand over his mouth. “The thing that will take us into over-budget territory is the interior design. The building itself will have top-of-the-line security features, and the complex can double as a shelter in