Her Irresistible Sheik - Excerpt
Al-Sintra Family
“How was your day?”
“Boring,” he replied. “Did you bake anything new today?” He gestured towards a set of chairs and sofas, silently offering her a seat.
Nahla perched on one of the chairs, trying not to relax too much. She needed to be on her guard around this man.
“No,” she replied, pausing to take a sip of the wine. “I gave Heather a break today. Instead, I read in the library, not causing any trouble.”
“I heard that you liked to read,” he announced. “I ordered more books for the library.”
Nahla’s glass of wine froze halfway to her lips. Slowly, she lowered the glass, resting it on her knee. “You…ordered more books?”
“Yes. I requested several mysteries that I hope you’ll enjoy. I know that the library shelves are filled with books already, but most of them are ancient tomes that weren’t written with enjoyment in mind. They’re filled with information, sometimes not very accurate information because scientific methods were still evolving when most of those books were written.”
For some silly reason, Nahla’s heart accelerated. She stared at him, noticed that he seemed to be trying to appear casual. What was that about? And had he actually ordered the books? Selected them himself? Or had he delegated the task to someone else?
Why that mattered, she wasn’t sure. But Nahla needed to know.
“What mysteries did you order?” she asked, wondering if he knew, then praying that he didn’t know. If he could name the titles, then he’d chosen them himself. If he just shrugged and waved a hand dismissively in the air, then he’d tasked someone else to select the titles.
He named ten titles off the top of his head, not needing to even think about their names! Each of the books he named were the stories that she’d wanted to delve into, but hadn’t had time!
“Will those work? I wasn’t sure what genre you prefer to read, so I selected various types.”
Nahla lowered her eyes, staring at a spot in the middle of his chest. Her throat felt tight and her heart was thudding so hard, she wasn’t sure if she was having a heart attack or falling in love with the guy!
“Those…the titles are…perfect,” she admitted with complete honesty. “Thank you,” she replied, lifting her eyes and staring at him. “That was very kind of you. You didn’t have to do that. I know that I’m putting you out already by being here.”
When he had his amusement back under control, he looked across the table at her. That damn dimple was there, distracting him once again. It wasn’t fully formed. Right now, she was merely smiling slightly so it was…a half dimple, he decided.
Why hadn’t he ever seen that cute dimple before? It wasn’t evident in most of the pictures of her online. And he’d looked at nearly all of them. Maybe a hundred during his last meeting, he thought with a mental grimace.
Maybe the dimple only came out when she was genuinely amused or happy? Which would be a very significant “tell” as to her moods, he realized. He’d have to test that theory.
“So you don’t like biographies because they might not be true. And you don’t like autobiographies because the writer is arrogant.”
“Exactly,” she said with a firm nod. “Plus, I suspect that most autobiographies are done by a ghost writer, which means that the subject is not just arrogant, but also a liar.”
“I suspect that you’re right. But I enjoy reading biographies.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “I’m not sure if I’ve read an autobiography yet. However, you might be right.” He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Perhaps the reason I’ve not read an autobiography yet is for the same reason you just described.”
“Good! We’ll ban them from the world!” she said, using her spoon like a sword. Then laughed and there it was again; that dimple!
“You’re talent is impressive, Nahla.” His voice was flat but his eyes spoke to the honesty in his words. He didn’t elaborate and, for some reason, that made his statement much more powerful.
“Thank you,” she replied, her voice a small whisper.
Then her eyes dropped to his lips. She couldn’t help it. Her mind had been wondering what it would feel like to kiss him for what seemed like forever. Even when she’d hated the man after their first meeting, she’d wondered about it and that had confused her. Why would she want to kiss a man who irritated her with his arrogance? But now, seeing the real man, or as much of himself as he’d allow her to see, she knew that he wasn’t arrogant. He was just…responsible, with a great deal of issues weighing on his mind.
She was just about to pull her eyes away when she felt his hand on the back of her head. Looking up, directly into his eyes, she saw it. The heat! The need! He wanted to kiss her too!
When that hand tugged her closer, Nahla couldn’t resist. She let him pull her closer. Closer! Then he stopped a mere breath away! Her lips tingled with anticipation and she held her breath, wondering if he was going to stop.
Then he didn’t! The pressure on her head increased ever so slightly and she moved willingly, coming that small distance to close the gap.
She’d been expecting just a brush of his lips. But Nahla should have known that this man wouldn’t want half measures. He was strong and powerful in everything he did. He kissed her thoroughly, nipping at her lips when she didn’t immediately open for him. When she felt his tongue teasing hers, she gasped at the shock and pulled slightly back. For a single breath, she stared at him, wondering if she’d just imagined that sensation. But because it had felt too good, she moved closer, kissing him again. And there it was!
The shock and wonder of it was overwhelmed by the instant need to feel more, to get even closer.
Unfortunately, before she could truly release herself to the beauty of that kiss, Mikail pulled back. He didn’t remove his hand though and she felt his fingers sliding along her hair, then down her neck. It seemed as if he didn’t want to stop touching her and she loved that feeling, even leaned into his touch.
