Page 7 of The Sheik's Pretend Fiancee
Gotcha, he thought as he watched her mouth open slightly. The look in her eyes was wary, but even better than her abject denial was the fact that she couldn’t lie. Even though her position as ambassador for her country required her to stay away from him, this gorgeous woman couldn’t lie to him about her attraction to him.
After a few seconds, she huffed and leaned back. “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question, considering our countries’ positions.”
He shrugged dismissively.“Then let’s change our countries’ positions.”
Angela leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with hope and suspicion.“You’d do that? You’d alter Ginisia’shostile position against Lativa?”
“Absolutely.”
For a long moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. Had he really just announced that he would alter his country’s political position for a kiss?
Aljahim naem!Hell yes!
She shook her head, the small wisps of hair dancing around her lovely features. “But…why?” She leaned forward, her hands lightly clasped in front of her now on the table. “Why in the world would you change your position against my country?”
He stared into her beautiful, dark eyes.They were so damn expressive! “If it means that I get you in my bed, then I will not be as…contrary…toward Lativa in the future.”
She gasped and then shook her head. “Sex isn’t part of my negotiating tactics!” she snapped and pulled back.
“I wouldn’t think that was the case,” he countered, grabbing her hands when she started to gather up her things. His words, as well as his hand over hers, stalled her. “What I’m trying to say is that if the tension between our countries hinders my ability to court you, then I’ll change it.”
Courting? He silently groaned.What the hell was he saying? What was he offering?He could see by thebaffled look in her eyes that she also required clarification. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely sure what he meant.Hell, he didn’t even know how to court a woman!
She tilted her head slightly, exposing the long line of her throat again. Tiro stared for an extended moment, contemplating what he could do to her neck.Would she gasp? Or moan? Whatsounds would she make when he found a spot that really turned her on?
He considered various other places on her body that he wanted to know more about and immediately, his body tightened. He had to force himself to concentrate on the conversation at hand.
She pulled back, both physically and mentally, pursing her lips with distrust. “I think that it is bad political policy to allow one’s sexual desires to dictate the direction of a whole country’s foreign policy, wouldn’t you agree?”
Tiro’s hands itched to reach out and stroke her hair, to pull it out of that messy bun and see how long it was.Shoulder length? Longer? Rationally, he knew that a woman’s hair length wasn’t an indication of her fertility, but he still loved long hair on a woman. Maybe, because he loved tangling his hand in the soft, silky strands while thrustingin and out of her heat? Or perhaps because heenjoyed the way the ends tickled his chest or his face when she rode him. Or…!
Hell, Angela had asked him a question. It took him a moment to recall what it was.
“I think the tensions between our countries are based on an irrational set of competition standards that were dictated by my uncle back when he ruled Ginisia. Perhaps it’s time that we knockthat tension down a few notches.”He looked pointedly at her, willing her to understand his intentions. “And if the tensions between our countries ease, then perhaps it would be more…palatable…for you to have dinner with me some night in the future.”
Those soft, full lips parted again and he ached to kiss them, to feel her lips and taste her tongue.Aljahim, he wanted to taste every inch of her!
The startled, slightly wary look in her eyes warned him to slow down. But he also sensed her excitement. Perhaps it was the throbbing pulse point at the base of her neck or the way her breath sped up. Were her irises slightly moredilated now?
Yes, she felt it too. He wasn’t alone in this attraction. He’d felt it earlier tonight, but seeing the signs up close made his body tighten even further. It was going to be difficult to walk after much more of this.
“What would you propose?” she prompted, her pink tongue darting out to lick her soft, full lips.
It took Tiro several long, painful seconds to realize that she was still talking about relations between their two countries.
Alleana.
For the next hour, they debated about military operations, trade options, tariffs, and intellectual exchange possibilities. She might be young, but Princess Angela Al-Sintra wasn’t a fool. She was an exceptionally good negotiator who understood the optics as well as the economics behind every decision. And she didn’t give anything until he was ready to concede first. Perhaps growing up in a palace surrounded by brilliant cousins and tough-as-nails aunts and uncles wasn’t such a hardship.
He checked the time on his phone and realized that it was nearly dawn. He needed to get showered and dressed for the day.
“I have to go. When will you take these terms back to your uncle?”
Chapter 5
Angela glanced at the time and was surprised by the early hour. Immediately, she began gathering up her laptop and notes, tapping them into a tidy pile. “I’m returning to Lativa today. There’s a…uh…” she stopped, wondering why she was going to admit that she was heading home so that she could help celebrate one of her cousin’s birthdays. Her extended family was incredibly large, and incredibly close. In fact, she and her cousins were best friends. She, Laith, Rafi, and Zayn, being so close in age, were closer. But the four younger ones, Nahla, Saif, Ramzi, and Rylan were a close-knit team as well.
Everyone lived at the Lativa palace, since her Uncle Khal had extended and renovated the family wing, so everyone had their own apartment after they’d graduated from university.
