Page 27 of The Sheik's Embrace

Slowly, she reached out, her fingers touching the soft, pink material.

Tara had never worn pink. Mainly because pink was a color that stood out in a crowd and her life was a constant effort to avoid detection. But also because pink was a soft, romantic color. She’d been taught from an early age that pinks and reds were immoral colors. Red more than pink, but women still shouldn’t draw a man’s gaze.

During the women’s Sunday studies in her old life, women were taught that men were sexual beasts and it was a woman’s responsibility to never tempt a man. She’d been taught that men had no control over their baser instincts. Anything that a woman said, wore, or did could tempt a man to sin and it was a woman’s responsibility to help him avoid sin.

Kaia had helped Tara understand that women were not responsible for men’s desires. Men should learn to be responsible for their own actions and thoughts.

That message had resonated, but because Tara hadn’t ever wanted to bring attention to herself, she’d always stuck with grey, brown, black, or dark green and, rarely, softer mauve colors. Anything that was muted helped her and her sister to blend in with the crowd and would help them escape if there was ever a need to run.

Pink. Tara bit her lip, more tempted than she would have expected.

Plus, the material was soft and of a better quality than she would be able to afford.

That wasn’t quite true. Tara and Kaia had learned to save every penny of their income. They both had a large balance in a bank, readily available for an emergency.

Stepping back from the dress, Tara shook her head. “I can’t!” she whispered to the silent room.

But when she looked over at the chair where she’d draped the brown dress she’d worn yesterday, it was gone. So were the panties and bra that she’d laundered by hand last night, then hung up to dry on a hanger. Biting her lip, she glanced at the pink dress again. She didn’t really have a choice, she thought to herself, unconsciously smiling at the idea.

Pink. She’d never worn pink! And the undergarments were lacy and sexier than anything she’d ever dared to consider.

On impulse, she dropped the towel and pulled on the sexy underwear, then closed her eyes as she slipped into the pink dress.

When she’d finished pulling up the back zipper, Tara turned to face the mirror. She couldn’t hide the shock at seeing the pink against her pale skin. Except, her skin was no longer pale. With the warm shade reflecting onto her skin, she looked less pale and more…shiny? Tara laughed at the adjective. No, not shiny but…happier! Yes, she looked happier! Her grumpiness from this morning evaporated, leaving the joyous feeling of looking pretty for once in her life.

Without hesitation, she searched under the cabinets, straightening with triumph when she found a hair dryer. Instead of pulling her hair back into the customary tight bun, she dried her hair so that it floated around her shoulders in a soft, brown cloud.

Wow, she looked dramatically different. She could definitely use a haircut since her hair hadn’t seen a pair ofscissors in a while, but that was fine. Her hair had also been protected, so it was healthier than it would have been if she’d been using heating tools on it.

She added a touch of lipstick and wished that she had some mascara. She and Kaia had occasionally worn makeup, but normally didn’t bother with it because they hadn’t wanted to spend money.

Turning away from the mirror, she slipped her feet into the matching shoes and walked out of the bedroom, a bit tenuous in the heels, but they weren’t as difficult to walk in as she’d assumed. The suite that the palace guards had shown her to last night after Zayed had gone off consisted of a large sitting room, a kitchenette, and a bedroom. Other palace guests might think the suite small, but her entire apartment would have fit into the bathroom with room to spare. So, this was a palace compared to what she was used to.

Except that she wasn’t used to sleeping in a palace. So, she was tired and in desperate need of coffee.

She entered her office and looked around, startled to notice that she was even earlier than normal. But Tara quickly settled into her work, ignoring the guards who stood outside of her office doorway as she prepared for Zayed’s meetings.

Chapter 23

“She’s in her office, Your Highness,” one of his guards announced.

Zayed exhaled heavily under the strain of one final repetition with the fifty pound hand weight, then returned it to the metal rack. “Thank you,” he replied and grabbed the towel off the weight bench, rubbing it over his face. Normally, he would work out for another thirty or forty minutes, but knowing that Tara was finally awake and in her office spurred him into the shower.

It took less than fifteen minutes to clean up and get ready for the day. He was too eager to see Tara.

“Has she eaten anything?” he asked one of his guards.

“No, Your Highness.”

Zayed shook his head in disapproval. “Call her and tell her to meet me in the breakfast room.”

“Your Highness,” another guard called out, lifting his hand while listening to his earpiece.

Zayed paused, waiting for the man to receive the information being conveyed. Then he nodded and looked up. “My apologies, Sire, but Sheik Abuzman has arrived.”

Zayed let out a string of epithets at the reminder of the summit he’d called for with his bastard neighbor. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to think, tried to figure out how to romance his pretty assistant while, at the same time, kick his neighbor’s ass for the unacceptable activities taking place on the border as well as the economic shenanigans Abuzman was initiating.

“Right. Tell Tara that–”

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