Page 8 of The Sheik's Embrace

Looking over at her, he asked, “Tara, when do you eat?”

She seemed startled by the question. She gestured to her desk and, for the first time, he noticed a large cup of coffee and a half eaten bowl of something that looked like gruel. “What is that?” he asked, laying the file down on the box and moving closer to her desk so that he could peer down at the gloopy mess.

“It’s oatmeal, Your Highness,” she replied, hiding her hands behind her back.

He bent closer, his nose wrinkling. “What are those dark blobs?”

He heard a muffled laugh and looked over at her. There were dark circles under her eyes, but her green irises were sparkling with amusement.

“Those are raisins, Your Highness.” She waved her hand towards her breakfast. “It’s a very healthy meal. Good for the heart.”

Zayed pulled back, but still stared in disgust at the bowl of…black blobs and grey mush. “Why the hell do you put raisins in your…” he almost gagged, “…oatmeal? Doesn’t that just make it worse?”

She laughed, then caught herself and slapped a hand over her mouth as if laughter wasn’t allowed. “It’s healthy.”

He groaned, shaking his head as he stepped back, fisting his hands on his lean hips. “I had some eggs and fruit this morning. Where’s the protein in your meal?”

She shook her head. “I’ll have some protein for lunch, Your Highness.”

His lips compressed as his irritation sparked.

“Stop saying that,” he grumbled.

Her eyes widened. He knew that he was being an ass, but he also suspected that she said, “Your Highness” to maintain a mental distance from him. And since he didn’t want any distance, or obstacles, between them, he wanted her to use his first name.

“Stop saying…what?”

He sighed and looked around. “Never mind,” he grumbled. Then he remembered why he was in her office. “Whydid you sleep here?” he asked her, moving closer. “Were you afraid to go home last night?”

There was a stunned silence, then he heard a small gasp before Tara took a step backwards, but there wasn’t enough space for her to move. Her hands clutched the sides of her mauve dress and her green eyes darkened. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Your Highness.”

“My security team noticed that you didn’t check out last night.” He watched her carefully. “They investigated and discovered you sleeping in here. On two chairs.” He reached out and took one of her hands, uncurling the fingers from her dress. “So I’m asking again. Why didn’t you go home last night?”

Her mouth opened and closed, her eyes staring up at him. “I just…I was…I worked late,” she finally replied, although he could hear the desperation in her voice. “I worked very late and knew that you had several important meetings first thing this morning. Meetings that I hadn’t finished prepping for so I stayed late and just…kept working.” She was lying. He could tell by the way she hid her free hand behind her ugly dress. “I got tired and meant to only lay my head down for a moment. I didn’t mean to stay overnight, Your Highness. I promise it won’t happen again.”

He lifted her hand out from behind her back, wanting to kiss her tightly clenched fist. Instead, he merely patted her hand. “Tara, you can stay here any night. I don’t care if you are just tired or if you are too nervous to go home. If you need to sleep here, then do so. There are plenty of rooms where you can sleep in a proper bed. Don’t ever hesitate. Your safety and mental health are…very important to me.”

Chapter 7

Tara stared up at the man who had haunted her dreams last night. His concerned gaze wreathed by those thick lashes melted her heart. And his offer to keep her safe, to allow her to stay here whenever she felt the need was exactly what she needed to hear.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she gushed, letting the air fly out of her lungs as relief surged through her. “That’s very generous of you.”

He grunted, then glanced at the boxes again, thankfully releasing her hand. The skin where he’d touched her felt abnormally warm.

“Good. Now tell me how late you normally work each night.”

She shrugged, sensing another trap but uncertain what this one might be about. “I don’t know, Your Highness. It varies.” That was the truth. It all depended on when he finished his meetings for the night.

His intense gaze focused on her face, prompting Tara to swiftly suppress any hint of concern that might betray itself in her eyes. “You keep working after I’m done, don’t you?” he asked.

Her chin pulled back as if startled. “Well, of course. I need to type up your notes and ensure that everything is ready for you for the next day.”

He tapped the first box again, then stepped back “You need to hire three additional people to help you, Tara.”

Her mouth fell open and she stared up at him. “Three?”

“At least,” he confirmed with a firm nod. “Contact the human resources department and give them a job description.I want you to have help. And I apologize for not authorizing a whole staff for you before now. It was wrong of me to be oblivious to the long hours you’ve been working.”

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