Page 21 of The Sheik's Kiss

Her jaw dropped and he knew he’d hit on a significant question.

“You’re…just…we need to…”

He waited until she’d stopped. “Who hurt you with their power?” he asked, lowering his voice to a murmur. “I want a name.”

She lowered her eyes and, because she was wearing heels, she was able to stare at his chin.

“Who hurt you, Mandy?” he repeated, his voice deep and low, firm but gentle.

She lifted her eyes and he felt that now-familiar jolt. “I wasn’t hurt,” she finally replied. “I told you before that my father was killed by the callous policies of a corporation that valued company profits over employee safety.” Her chin firmed and he noticed she had to blink back tears. “My father was murdered during a construction accident that never should have happened.”

There was a long silence. Zahir wasn’t even aware of the music playing as he held her close. Yes, they were swaying, and yes, he knew that others were around them at the moment. But he didn’t give a damn about anyone other than the woman in his arms.

“Tell me more,” he urged, his hands tightening around her fingers and her waist. But other than those small movements, nothing else changed.

She sniffed and looked away, but he knew that she wasn’t aware of other guests at the moment.

“My father was the project manager on a construction site. He was one of the best managers for the Dillbrook Construction Company.” She breathed in, then slowly released the air from her lungs before she continued. “He always finished his construction projects on time and under budget. But one year, he took over one of the larger projects. He noticed that Dillbrook was cutting costs by purchasing inferior products. The rest, you know. There were fake invoices that were used to try to cover up the ‘accident’ and then after my father’s funeral, the executives from the construction company tried to pressure and terrorize me and my mother into silence when we started asking questions.”

Mandy swayed in Zahir’s arms, feeling secure and…warm. Goodness, she hadn’t realized how cold she’d been until this particular moment. The warmth flowing from his hands went straight through to her body and was like a warm blanket surrounding her. It was comfortable and reassuring. Which was strange. Before, Mandy had always felt wary of him whenever he’d been close. Ever since their first meeting, she’d felt…strangely anxious whenever he was nearby. So, why was this sensation so different all of a sudden?

He turned on the dance floor and, suddenly, they weren’t dancing any longer. Instead, he was leading her out of the ballroom. His bodyguards moved quickly, opening the door for them, then closing it behind them as soon as they were outside in the sweet-smelling courtyard.

“We’re alone now,” he murmured into the darkness. He tucked her hand onto his arm as he led her down the pathway that was lit by small lights tucked into the trees and along the pathway. The lighting wasn’t enough to disturb the feeling of being alone and secure. Zahir’s warmth as he led her down the stone pathway intensified the sensation of feeling…alive. And safe!

She stepped out of his arms, relieved that Zahir would give her a bit of breathing space. “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know what happened with your father.” He moved closer. “Does that have something to do with why you keep pulling away from me whenever I get too close?”

Mandy swallowed, not sure how to answer him.

“The truth, Mandy. I want to hear the truth from you.” He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Even if you don’t think I’ll like the answer, tell me anyway. Please?”

Mandy considered how much to tell him. Everything? How honest could she be with this powerful man?

“I need my fingers back if you want to hear the truth, Your Highness,” she finally replied.

He hesitated, then kissed her fingers again and released her hand. He even stepped back, giving her more space. “Tell me,” he urged, crossing his arms over his chest.

It took her a moment to get her eyes to stop ogling his arms and shoulders. Goodness, the man was built!

Turning away from him, she wrapped her arms around her waist, looking out at the darkness. “As I said, my father was a good project manager. He always came in under budget and ahead of schedule.” She turned back around, looking up at him. “Not just that, but he’d built up a team of workers that respected him, and he respected them too. They worked hard and he only chose the workers that took pride in their craft.” She inhaled, then slowly let the air flow out through her pursed lips. It was painful to remember. Plus, she’d suppressed the pain and anger for so long, she knew it was starting to create a bitter feeling deep within her. A therapist would say that the pain and anger were toxic and holding her back from truly thriving.

“The company he worked for bid on a bigger job than they normally took on. The company managers also under bid the job. My dad told them that it wasn’t possible to construct the proposed building with the suggested budget, but the managers promised that they would still use quality products if he would continue to work his magic and get the team working on the construction.”

“The company didn’t give him his normal team, did they?” he interjected, knowing where this story was heading.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “From what I’ve was able to piece together, they brought in workers who didn’t really know the construction trade. In fact, I doubt that they were skilled in any way.” She pressed her lips together for a moment, then shrugged. “They might not have even been legal workers. But I don’t have evidence of either claim. However, my father had evidence that the materials that were shipped to the construction site were inferior. The unmatching invoices that I told you about proved that claim. The company ordered my father to use wood support beams when the construction code demanded steel. They used aluminum bolts instead of steel. He showed the managers of DillBrook that the materials shipped to the site weren’t right. But they said they’d send new supplies. Instead, someone went out to the site and dumped the aluminum bolts into a container labeled steel bolts.”

“Is that more supposition? Or did your father get evidence of that?”

Her mouth twisted into a grimace. “He had proof. My father always set up cameras to stop people from stealing after hours. There are a lot of people who drive up to a construction site during the night and load up their trucks with materials that are just lying around. That was another way my dad cut down on expenses. He didn’t let anyone steal from his sites.”

“He sounds like a smart man.”

“He was the best,” she said, her loyalty for her father shining through in the vehemence of her tone. “But DillBrook wanted to get out of the home building business and into the more profitable commercial building industry. So when my dad showed them proof that the supplies were subpar and not up to code, the DillBrook executives told him to just shut up and get the job done.”

“He didn’t shut up, did he?”

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