The Sheikh's Reluctant Queen. Оливия Гейтс

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СКАЧАТЬ laugh burst out of her. “You do fit the genie profile. Especially with the way you materialized out of thin air tonight.”

      Shrugging out of his coat, he moved deeper into the huge space. “I’m sure that satisfies your sense of dramatic license far more than the mundane explanation.”

      Removing her coat as well and following him farther into the room, she faced him as he stopped before a fireplace and held out her arms for the logs he’d picked up. “I’ll do that. You sit down.”

      “So it’s not ‘jump’ this time, but ‘sit,’ eh? What next? Roll over? Beg?”

      A chuckle bubbled out as she tried to imagine him doing any of that. But the funny actions only turned to licentious images in her head. Oh, the images.

      Trapping a moan, she grinned. “Maybe. And maybe I’ll ask you to jump to that mezzanine. I bet you can jump tall buildings in a single bound. But even superheroes need to put their feet up once in a while. As you’re going to do tonight.”

      Without a shadow of a smile in return, he handed her the logs and left her to start a fire. He sank down on top of a woolen kelim woven in Azmahar’s national colors and motifs. Leaning on one of two huge complementing cushions, he proceeded to watch her like a black panther would contemplate a contrary gazelle.

      His gaze made her more distressed with each breath; its touch unleashing impulses she’d believed would be forever banked with him forever out of her life.

      As he would be after tonight.

      But tonight was still here. As was she. And she would make the most out of this windfall.

      With the fire going, she turned to him. “You’re hungry.”

      “I am?”

      “Judging by your size and muscle mass, you must require quite a lot of sustenance frequently. It’s been almost four hours since you came to my rescue. So yes, you’re hungry now.”

      It could have been the play of firelight. But she could swear an obsidian flame started flickering in the depths of his eyes.

      He inclined his head, casting his face in deeper shadow, depriving her of closer investigation. “So you don’t just order your males around, you tell them how they feel, too.”

      “‘My males?’“ A laugh overcame her. “Ya Ullah, what a concept.” His intensity ratcheted up until she had to look away, had to walk to the open-plan kitchen at the far end of the gigantic space. “So… food. Please tell me I’ll find something more than water and dates in there.”

      “I can still call someone to follow you home now rather than later.”

      “No, thanks.” Arriving at the kitchen, she looked around. “You weren’t exaggerating, were you? No fridge? So how do you eat? Out? Or do you exist on takeaway? Or have a cook come in regularly?”

      “No cook. I get fresh ingredients delivered daily, use them up, rinse and repeat.”

      That actually sounded like a very healthy way to live. He was the picture of vigor and virility, so he was doing it right. Very.

      She leaned across the island, luxuriated in watching him coming closer. “So where’s today’s consignment?”

      He stopped before her. “I intended to have dinner out.”

      “Until me.”

      “Until you.”

      The way he said those words… Was there tenderness in his tone, or was it her imagination again?

      She cleared her tight throat. “So how am I supposed to feed you? You don’t even have dates, do you?”

      “I have all kinds of dried fruits.” He pointed toward the cupboards behind her.

      “I can use those. For dessert. For the main course, I bet you can get anything delivered at any time.”

      He brooded at her for what felt like an hour.

      Her gaze began to waver. He was going to outstare her and…

      He suddenly looked heavenward, as if asking the fates just what they’d thrown in his path tonight. Then he inhaled sharply, exhaled as forcefully.

      Wow. She’d done it. She’d dragged a full-blown reaction out of him. A human one, to boot.

      Her internal celebration hiccupped as he recaptured her in the crosshairs of his focus. “Fine. I’ll have whatever ingredients you require delivered. What do you want to feed me?”

      She barely managed not to jump and pump a fist into the air.

      Another minibattle won!

      Her smile was so wide she doubted her lips would revert to their former size. “What do you want to eat?”

      In response, he produced his cell phone, called someone named Ahmad then handed her the phone.

      As he walked away he said over his shoulder, “Surprise me. You’re superlative at it, after all.”

       Four

      Surprise had long given way to ever-expanding disbelief as Rashid watched Laylah prowling all over his place, “taking care of him.” She was now in his kitchen again, preparing him dessert.

      This was not going according to plan.

      Why was he letting her do this to him? He should be the one setting the pace, calling the shots.

      Yet, since she’d pounced on him with her scarf and concern in that alley, he’d been letting her steer him. And this alien experience of being taken care of only got more… incapacitating.

      No one had ever done anything like this for him, to him. He’d never let anyone near enough to even try. Not even Haidar and Jalal. He’d once rejected all their efforts to impose their brand of caring on him. He’d since lived happily alone.

      Zain. So “happily” didn’t apply. He had no idea what happiness was. He’d heard people describe it. He’d observed them living it. It was what Haidar and Jalal appeared to be eyeballs-deep in now, with their brides. He’d never experienced anything remotely resembling their conditions and he’d been fiercely thankful for that. They’d been… compromised. Their power was no longer their own; their priorities forever messed up. He’d been unwavering in his belief that he wasn’t equipped to succumb to anything like that so-called happiness, that there was nothing to jog his ironclad order and intentions. Happiness, and everything else that people wanted, was for other men. Men with no mission.

      Then tonight had happened. She had happened.

      Laylah Aal Shalaan. This… shock.

      Instead of the self-centered and self-serving spoiled witch he’d expected her to be, a budding СКАЧАТЬ