Page 37 of The Sheik's Vow

Tara jumped up, spilling coffee onto the lawn in her haste. When she spotted her husband, Sheik Zayed el Mastrion, standing directly behind the trio, she laughed and climbed onto the rock wall. Zayed caught her as she leapt into his arms, barely grunting as he hugged his wife to his chest.

Kaia was a bit more circumspect in her reaction to seeing Riaz, but equally fervent. She flipped her legs over the wall and smiled, lifting her arms. Instantly, Riaz pulled her to her feet and into his embrace, bending low to kiss her.

“I love you,” he muttered softly so that only Kaia could hear the words.

She lifted her head, kissing him lightly because they had an audience. “I love you too!”

Riaz sighed, his hands stroking her back. “I came out here to introduce you to a friend, but now all I want is to get you into a private place so that I can show you how happy your words make me.”

She laughed and lifted onto her toes. “Why do we need to stick around?” she whispered into his ear.

Riaz groaned, hugged her lightly, then sighed heavily. “We have a few more issues to discuss. Will you be okay out here? Your guards are watching you.”

She grinned up at him, anticipation for tonight humming through her body. “I’m fine. Go do your sheikly duties.” She lifted higher and he realized she wanted to say something into his ear so he lowered his head, listening. “If you’re not done quickly, I’ll just startwithout you.”

When she stepped back, it was to smile smugly at his stunned expression. “Go!” she ordered, wiggling her fingers.

He muttered a curse under his breath, then started to reach for her. A pointed throat clearing nearby distracted him. He turned to glare at Zayed, who nodded towards the third man in their group.

Zayed stepped forward and started the introductions. “Tazim, this is my wife, Tara. We’ve been married for just under three weeks, so I won’t bother with her new title for fear that she might…”

He stopped as his wife reached out and pinched his waist. Or tried to. There wasn’t any extra fat on his waist so she had a hard time punishing him. His response was to pull her against his side and kiss the top of her head.

While leaning against her handsome husband, Tara smiled and stretched out her hand in greeting. “Sheik el Butrim, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard some of the ideas my husband would like to discuss with you and I’m sure that the suggestions will increase the friendships between your three countries.”

The man in question was watching Ann, who was still standing on the other side of the wall. But when Tara spoke, he finally pulled his eyes away from her. With a charming smile, he shook her hand, then lifted her fingers to his lips and laid a kiss on her knuckles. “Ms. Treon,” he replied, winking at her, “it is a pleasure to meet the woman who captured my friend’s heart. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to attend your wedding.”

She shook her head and waved his apology away. “It was a fast wedding.” She caught his quick glance at her stomach and laughed. “Nope. Not pregnant.” Tara leaned her head against Zayed’s shoulder. “Just fascinated by the big oaf.”

Zayed grunted, then turned to Riaz. “And you know Riaz, but I doubt that you’ve met his fiancée,” he paused, everyone chuckling at Kaia’s startled expression, “And obviously, that’s the first time anyone has addressed her as such.” Another round of laughter filled the chilly air.

Tazim extended his hand. “Ms. Treon, I look forward to many more interactions with you.”

“Your Highness,” Kaia replied, not bothering to curtsy as she shook the man’s hand with a confident grip. Then everyone turned to the lone woman still standing on the far side of the rock wall.

Ann looked…pale? No, not pale because there was suddenly a becoming blush to her cheeks. However, Kaia and Tara weren’t sure if their new friend’s expression was caused by the man who was obviously interested in her, or because she was interested in him!

“This is Ann. She’s an integral member of the staff here at TBC,” Kaia explained.

The man moved closer to the wall, extending his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ann,” he said, his deep voice rumbling through the air as he shook the stunned woman’s hand. “I look forward to speaking with you further.”

Ann remained tight-lipped, her fiery dark eyes sending a clear warning to all except the oblivious man holding her fingers that her temper teetered on the edge. The reason behind Ann's irritation remained a mystery, leaving those around her perplexed by the intensity of her suppressed frustration.

Unfortunately, the three men stepped back, Riaz lifting Kaia’s fingers. “I’ll be back in less than an hour. Will you be ready to leave by then?”

She smiled, a confident, challenging expression in her eyes. “Absolutely,” she whispered, winking up at him.

Riaz turned with a groan and walked away. But the three women heard him mutter, “We need to iron out these details fast!”

As Riaz led the trio back up to the clubhouse building, Kaia noticed Sheik Tazim glance over his shoulder at Ann. Interesting, she thought.

Kaia harbored a tantalizing suspicion that the woman concealed depths far beyond what met the eye—a clandestine world veiledbeneath her public facade. There lingered an alluring aura of mystery around Ann, hinting at untold secrets waiting to be unraveled.

However, before Kaia could question her, something lurking in the barn caught her eye. Kaia was about to think she’d just caught a flicker of the sunlight and was about to turn away, when Emily’s pet donkey came charging out of the barn, braying up a storm. He didn’t stop until he was on the far edge of the coral.

“What’s going on with Horace?” Ann asked, as they all turned to look at the barn. A moment later, two cats zoomed out of the barn as well. The horse, Horace’s companion, jumped up in the air in alarm, even though he was on the other side of the fence from the donkey.

“This isn’t good,” Ann whispered.

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