Page 24 of The Sheik's Embrace

“You won, didn’t you?” he asked.

After another hesitation, Tara laid down her hand and reluctantly announced, “Gin.”

He looked at the set of cards. Sure enough, she had three eight cards, three tens, and four kings splayed out over the table.

He lifted his eyes, noting that she looked nervous again.

“You don’t…!”

He was already leaning over the table, his hands braced on the polished surface. Zayed hesitated for only a moment, recognizing that Tara was holding her breath, their mouths barely an inch apart.

“You win,” he whispered just before his lips brushed over hers. He lingered there for a moment, appreciating the softness of her lips against his, the trembling of her mouth, and the soft exhalation of her breath as she kissed him back.

Zayed drew back, not wanting to scare her with the depths and intensity of his need. Taking up the cards, he tapped them on the table and began shuffling as he said, “Your deal.”

For a long moment, Tara didn’t move. Zayed watched as her fingers gently touched her lips. She looked stunned, then her lashes lifted and…the surprise in her eyes warned him of something. But he wasn’t sure what the message was about.

Suddenly, she jerked out of her contemplation and started dealing the cards for the next game. She handled the cards just a little clumsily, which fascinated Zayed. He’d watched her hands before. When she typed on her laptop, she was fast and furious, without hesitation or backstrokes to correct spelling or a thought.

Had the brief kiss affected her to the point that she was fumbling?

He grinned at the possibility.

“Are you going to look at your cards?” she prompted.

Zayed suddenly realized that she’d dealt the cards while he was lost in his thoughts. Reluctantly, he looked down at the table. Sure enough, ten cards were splayed out in front of him.

He pulled in his cards, then sorted them, all the while, contemplating her reaction to just a simple kiss.

That’s when it hit him. Had that been herfirstkiss? With her childhood, it was certainly possible! Not just her horrible childhood, but also the constant struggle to move from one hiding place to the next. Tara wouldn’t have been in one place long enough to form a romantic connection with a man.

His body tightened at the thought that Tara, his beautiful, green eyed Tara, was so sweetly innocent that she’d never even kissed another man before.

“Tara, was that…?” He stopped when she lifted her hand in the air, silencing him.

She shifted a card from one place to another, her gaze intent on whatever strategy she was planning. “Our agreement is that you may ask a question only if you win.” She folded her cards and looked at him. “You go first.”

Damn, he wanted her! Right now! He wanted to toss the cards away and haul her into his arms. He wanted to make love to her, touch her, show her every damn thing she’d been missing all these years. Then he wanted to spoil her with rich foods and beautiful clothes. He wanted to take her shopping in Paris and Milan. He wanted to show her the world! And then strip off all of those wonderful clothes and make love to her all over again!

But first, he needed to win this damn game. Mentally, he cursed his idea to play cards. It would have been better if he’d simply encouraged her to talk about her past more so that he knew the battles he’d need to fight in order to win her heart.

And her trust.

Trust. That’s what he needed first. He had to prove to Tara that she was safe. That she didn’t need to bolt out of Pitra to find a new hiding place.

Chapter 20

Tara trembled as she watched Zayed take the card that had been laid face up next to the stack of cards. She wanted another kiss! Her lips still throbbed from that brief brush of his mouth against hers. Somehow, this silly game between them had morphed into an almost life or death struggle for her. For another kiss! She felt her whole body shaking with anticipation. Never before had she even contemplated kissing another man. No other male had ever tempted her like Zayed did.

Oh, she’d looked at other men and thought, “Hmm…I bet he’d be a good kisser.” Or “Hey, why not just take this guy up on his obvious interest and find out what all the fuss is about.” However, her life hadn’t allowed her to follow up on those thoughts. Her life had been a constant, desperate attempt to keep one step ahead of a maniacal bastard.

Every time she and Kaia had started to feel safe, Ethan had shown up. Maybe he’d been knocking on a neighbor’s door. Or perhaps they’d see him sitting in a coffee shop near where they’d been working.

It didn’t matter how or where they’d seen him, she and Kaia had packed up and left, leaving everything behind that didn’t fit into a small backpack, which was always kept packed so that they were ready to leave in moment’s notice.

So yes, Zayed was the first man who truly, sincerely, interested her on a level that was more than just vague curiosity. Until now, she’d always considered the man to be forbidden. He was her employer. He was a royal. He was the freaking leader of the country!

But he’d introduced this game. And now, it felt imperative for her to win another kiss from him.

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