Page 30 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
The stable master was still talking, but Tiro wasn’t listening. He was completely focused on Angela.
“That sounds good,” Tiro interrupted, praying that was a reasonable response. “I’ll get back with you on that.”
The stable master stopped speaking, his jaw hanging open for a moment. He’d been explaining about how the saddle had been tampered with and mentioned knives and how sharp they were. But a moment later, Sheik Tiro walked over to the lovely princess like he was in a trance. The stable master chuckled and turned away.
“Let’s give ‘em some privacy, lads!” he called out, rounding up the staff while mentally making a rotating list of employees who could visit the injured man’s house to help out while he recuperated.
Chapter 20
“What do you want to do now?” Tiro asked, leading Angela down the long hallway of his palace. It was just as impressive as her home in Lativa, but slightly different. The mosaics on the walls here displayed stories of Ginisia’s history, both mythological as well as real events. The family area of Lativa’s palace was much larger, because Angela’s family mostly lived in the palace. Some of Tiro’s distant family lived in the palace, but because they were so bothersome, he’d assigned them living spaces in a different wing of the palace. He had about ten cousins that lived on the palace grounds, but none were interested in helping to run the country, which was a good thing. He preferred to hire competent managers. Nepotism had no place in running a government.
“I don’t know,” she replied, leaning into him.Was she purposely pressing her breast against his arm? Or was that something that women did without noticing? He’d never asked before because he hadn’t really cared. But with Angela, he didn’t want to make a move if he wasn’t certain she was ready for intimacy.
“We could watch a movie,” he offered, trying to ignore the soft press of her breast against his bicep. “Movie studios around the world send copies of their newest movies to me.”
“That’s one idea,” she replied, tilting her head back as if to examine the mosaics on the walls. She looked at him, an odd glint in her eyes.“My parents mentioned something about a game they played together before they were married.” She took a couple more steps, then laughed, shaking her head. “However, whenever they talk about playing that game, she gives my dad alook. And he smiles back. There’s a secret to that game, and…I’m not sure I want to find out what their secret was.”
“Okay, so no games,” he replied, walking slowly. “I could take you on a tour of the gardens.My gardener has some special places hidden among the trees and shrubs.”
“I’m a bit hungry,” she admitted. “What about if we sneak into the kitchen and see if there’s something worth stealing?”
He groaned and shook his head. “I’ve been banned from the kitchen.”
Angela stopped, forcing him to halt as well but amusement shimmered in her pretty, brown eyes. “Tiro, you’re the ruler of this country. Are you seriously telling me that you’re not allowed in the kitchen?”
He felt his ears heat up and sighed heavily. “When I was a kid, I was always hungry. My parents never believed me, and my nannies said I needed more discipline. So…” he looked around, obviously uncomfortable. “So, I’d sneak into the kitchens at night. By that point, I was too hungry to care about what I was eating.”
Angela was laughing and he sighed, walking once again. “So, the chef banned me from the kitchen after I ate one of the cakes that was supposed to be for a ceremony the following day.”
“That’s awful,” she gasped between bursts of laughter.
He chuckled, placing a hand over hers where it rested on his arm. “Yeah, I got into a lot of trouble for that. But it worked out in the end.”
“How?”
“The chef finally realized that I wasn’t getting enough food, so he would make extra and get one of his staff members to sneak it into my room at varioustimes if I promised never to sneak into his kitchen again.”
She tilted her head, grinning up at him. “That’s kind of sweet.”
“He has religiously provided snacks for me throughout the day and, in return, I’ve stayedout of his kitchen.” He pushed through a set of double doors, whichautomatically closed behind them. “However, I doubt that the snacks he’s placed here would interest you.”
“What do you have stored here?” she asked, looking around at the décor.
“Beef jerky is my favorite,” he admitted. “The chef enjoys finding different ways to smoke the beef jerky. Plus, it’s a good source of lean protein. He also makes a wicked granola with almonds and…,” he stopped when he noticed her expression.
“I’m allergic to almonds.”
He paused for a moment, then nodded. “Good to know,” he replied, then pressed a button. A moment later, a man entered the suite. “How can I help you, Your Highness?” he said with a bow.
“We need some snacks,” he explained.“Something without almonds.” He paused and looked to Angela. “Are you allergic to anything else?”
“Nope. Just almonds, for some reason.”
Tiro glanced at the servant, who immediately nodded. “I’ll have something delivered in five minutes, Your Highness,” he said, then bowed and left the suite.
Tiro turned to Angela, looking down into her lovely features. “So, what will we do for five whole minutes?” he asked, his hands moving to her hair again, mesmerized by the silky feel of her skin.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, inching closer. He felt her hands on his chest and…damn, she felt good. Tiro dropped her hair so that he could slide his hands down her back. She was so soft and he loved the way her breasts felt against his chest.
