Page 37 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
“That would be nice,” she replied, trying to mask her excitement.If her eyes dropped lower, glancing at his lips and his broad, yummy shoulders, then what of it? He was gorgeous and she was human.
“Excellent.” Helightly touched her shoulder before walking away. Angela felt the warmth of his fingers and it somehow made her feel…special. He hadn’t touched anyone else. The slight brush of his fingertips against her shoulder was just for her.
Angela watched him walk away, appreciating the confidence in his stride and the breadth of his shoulders. He was such an amazing man!
Someone cleared her throat and Angela spun back around at the table, surprised to find all three women wearing smug expressions.How long she’d been staring at the now-empty doorway?Aunt Tila and Aunt Tasha’s smiles were downright wicked while her mother’s smile was more…relieved. Yes, that was the only way to describe it.
Angela suspected she was definitely going to be hurt by this relationship. It was only temporary, after all. She would have only today and part of tomorrow with Tiro, then she’d get back to her normal life. Perhaps they could meet in some foreign city when their schedules aligned, but those stolen moments would be few and far between.
Chapter 26
Tiro walked down the hallway, trying to figure out what was bothering him. He’d heard Angela’s mother caution her daughter not to let him break her heart.What the hell did that mean? On the one hand, hewas pleased by the thought that it was possible that Angela could be hurt. That meant her feelings for him were growing. But on the other hand, he hated the possibility of her being hurt, especially if he was the one to do it.
He didn’t want to hurt Angela in any way. But,what if this was just a sexual relationship for her? Tiro was quicklyrealizing that, for him, it was more. Although, he wasn’t sure exactly how to define what was happening between them.
He paused and looked around at his guards as something occurred to him. “Why were the ladies waiting to be served breakfast?” he asked.
One of the guards shifted slightly, and he suddenly noticed that they all seemed more alert than usual. This was normal when he left the palace, but usually, they were a bit more relaxed when he was home.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
“Several of the kitchen staff got very sick yesterday,” one explained.
That wasn’t good. His eyebrows drew down over his gaze. “How many?”
“Ten, Your Highness,” the guard replied. “Two of them are in the hospital this morning.”
Tiro frowned. “Two kitchen employees are in the hospital and I wasn’t informed immediately?”
Another guard sighed. “We didn’t think sick kitchen staff members rose to the level of a problem, Your Highness.”
Tiro’s anger intensified. “One staff member coming down with a virus isn’t something I need to know about. However, ten staff members suddenly getting sickis definitely an issue.” He glared at the fourguards surrounding him.“What happened? Is there a cleanlinessissue?”
“No, Your Highness. The staff members have been tested and…,” he paused, looking to the others.
Tiro tensed, his eyes narrowing as he grasped that something significant had occurred. “This is bigger than just the kitchen employees getting sick, isn’t it?” At their grim expressions, he looked at each of them, then back to today’s lead guard.“What’s going on? Where is Aziz?” The head of his security teammust be looking into the problem.
“Aziz is also sick, Your Highness, but he promised to be in soon.”
Tiro froze.Aziz was sick? The man must be on death’s door if he called in sick!“Good.” He fisted his hands on his hips, glaring at each of the guards surrounding him. “So,what do you know? What’s going on?Was this an assassination attempt?”
“No, Your Highness. We haven’t heard anything about a threat to your life. At least, not above the normal chatter. Nothing that rises to a level that we would need take seriously.”
“So what’s going on?” he demanded, feeling slightly relieved.
There was an uncomfortable silence, then the lead guard sighed again. “We don’t know, Your Highness. The staff are still too sick to be interviewed, but we have guards standing by at the hospital, ready to question the victims as soon as they are healthy enough to do so.”
“Good.Then inform me as soon as you have news.”
He hurried to a briefing on the mysterious video of him kissing Angela. He wanted answers and his security team wasn’t moving fast enough! So, he’d privately contacted an investigative firm outside of the palace to get some answers. Something was going on with his security department. They weren’t working fast enough all of a sudden, although Aziz said he’d discovered some useful information. They’d theorized that Lativa had released the video to embarrass Tiro so that they could gain access to the newly discovered lithium. But that just didn’t make sense to Tiro. The idea might be valid, but there were too many variables for the possibility to work.
Tiro had kept his opinions to himself while he waited for Aziz to get more information. He didn’t want to accuse anyone until there was confirmed evidence of a plot.
As he entered the conference room, his thoughts returned to Angela. She’d looked so lovely in the dining room this morning. Her beauty was fresh and alive, and her smile had immediately brightened his morning. The blush had helped too, but he was very aware of the tenderness that had kept him from making love to her yet again this morning.
Well, it had kept him from making love to her one way. He’d pleasured her with his mouth and his hands. Then she’d reciprocated and…damn, it had been a very long shower this morning. Again.
His body immediately tightened at the memory of her lips wrapped around his shaft. And the taste of her.She was sweet everywhere!
