The Sheik’s Vow – Introduction
The Billionaire’s Club
“Excuse me?” she forced out, her fingers tangling with the woven cord dangling from the strap of her backpack. If she pulled the cord, the strap would tighten on her shoulders, pulling the pack snugly against her body.
The gold and cream shades of the room’s décor faded away, nothing else existed beyond his eyes.
“Marry me, Kaia. Let me protect you. Let me help you defeat your monsters.”
The laughter, like an uninvited guest, escaped her control. It erupted from her, an explosive release in the tension-filled room. The force of her laughter bent her over slightly, and she shook her head, the sound reverberating with a mix of disbelief and nervous energy.
It wasn’t the proposal itself that struck her as funny; it was the audacity of the offer, the surreal quality of the situation. Her mind raced, grappling with the absurdity of the moment while her laughter echoed through the room.
As she straightened, Kaia found him watching her with an unwavering gaze. The air hung heavy with uncertainty, tension threading through the silence that followed her laughter. He waited silently for her to collect herself.
In that awkward pause, Kaia realized the weight of his offer. The proposal wasn’t a whimsical gesture; he was serious. A strange mixture of amusement and apprehension filled the air, turning the room into a crucible of conflicting emotions.
Their eyes locked, a silent exchange carrying the unspoken tension between them. The woven cord in Kaia’s hand seemed to tighten, mirroring the intricate knot of emotions tightening within her. The laughter had vanished, leaving a lingering unease in its wake, like the aftershocks of an unexpected quake.
“Are you seriously proposing marriage?” Surely, she’d misunderstood.
“Absolutely.” He took a step closer and she forgot to breathe for a long moment. Her mouth hung open as he began to plead his case. “You are a lovely, intelligent woman who has survived things I can only imagine. Your compassion and your determination to fight and protect are alluring character traits.” He stepped even closer, his dark eyes flashing with an inner determination. “Kaia, you are the woman that I have been searching for. You are the lioness that I want by my side.”
His words were genuine and his eyes seemed to almost glow with a heat unlike anything she’d ever seen.
Even more powerful, he called her a “lioness”. The feeling that washed over her was one she had never felt before. Her feet took a small step forward without her realizing it. “You think I’m a lioness?” she whispered.
