The Sheik's Dangerous Lover Page 0,16

kindness. Until she walked away from him with a silly smile on her face. When she realized that she’d just spent the better part of four hours studying for a test with the very same man who was going to eliminate the possibility of her taking the test, she became angry.

And more confusingly, that anger turned to sadness when she wondered if he wasn’t going to take away her chance to become a lawyer. Why would he help her study, except if he were thinking of marrying one of the other women that were visiting the palace?

That thought caused her such a huge amount of jealousy she actually had to stop and place her hand against the palace wall, trying to catch her breath.

This was crazy, she told herself. She couldn’t keep going on like this. She was angry with him one moment, excited about seeing him another, laughing with him, arguing with him, pushing him to do something she believed in and agreeing with him on something she’d previously been completely opposed to. What was going on with her? Why was she being so pathetically wishy washy?

She sat down on one of the benches, looking down at the floor. Her eyes didn’t see the intricate mosaic design, nor did she hear the heavy feet that were coming towards her. She stared at nothing at all, feeling only the panic and confusion over what was happening to her. And all because of a man she’d met only several days ago.

She had to get out of here. Her mother and father had left two days ago, she should just follow them. She could pack up her dress, leave all the new clothes behind because they weren’t hers anyway, and just head on home.

With that in mind, she walked quickly in the opposite direction. When she reached the suite of rooms she’d been sleeping in, she tore into the closet, unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. She grabbed the silver dress she’d worn here so many nights ago, her mind cringing at how exciting and confusing that night had been. Malik hadn’t come to her room except for that one night, but every day he kissed her until she was melting against him. She didn’t want to beg, but she was quickly reaching the point where she would beg him to make love to her again. And she couldn’t do that. She had to get away, she had to leave the palace.

She looked around, not finding any sort of bag to take her dress home in. Should she just leave it here? She looked down at the shimmering material and couldn’t do it. She had to take it with her. She wanted this dress close to her. She might not want to be married to the man, but that night had been incredibly wonderful and she would keep this dress, perhaps hang it up in the back of her closet and take it out on those lonely nights when she needed to remember the night she met possibly the most exciting man of her life.

She pulled open the door to her suite and ran into a brick wall. Well, not specifically a brick wall, but a solid force with arms that wrapped around her, hands that steadied her so she didn’t fall down.

As soon as those strong arms wrapped around her, she knew that Malik had come to find her once again. “What are you doing here?” she asked, leaning her head against his chest in both defeat and the need to feel his warmth, smell his delicious scent just one more time.

“I was told that you were crying,” he said, lifting her up and carrying her into her room. He sat down with her on his lap over by one of the windows. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” he said, his hands moving along her back.

She knew that he was trying to be soothing, but the feel of his hand was obliterating her resolve. All she wanted to do was press her body against his hard one, feel that intense passion spring to life as it always did whenever he touched her. She buried her face in his neck, breathing in his spicy scent. “I have to go,” she explained softly.

Malik stiffened, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “Why do you need to go?” he asked gently. Her bottom was pressing against his groin and his body wasn’t immune to her incredible softness. The bed was too close. He