Page 23 of Her Irresistible Sheik
That froze her mid-sip.The glass hovered for a moment before she slowly lowered it to rest on her knee.“You…ordered more books?”
“Yes.Several mysteries.I thought you might enjoy them.The current collection was compiled more for scholars and bureaucrats than readers.It was full of dusty information and tedious philosophies.Reading them is like chewing bark.”
Her heart jumped at his words.Not just for the content—though that was certainly unexpected—but for the quiet effort behind them.He wasn’t a man known for gestures.He was known for commanding entire regions with a raised brow.
And yet here he was…ordering mysteries?For her?
“Did you choose them yourself?”she asked, as casually as she could manage, though her voice betrayed a hint of breathless hope.“Or did you have someone else…handle it?”
Mikail listed off ten titles without hesitation.Not a flicker of doubt.Not even a glance at his phone.
Every single one was from her mental to-be-read list.
Nahla blinked.Her mouth opened, then closed, because her heart was galloping and she wasn’t sure if this counted as romance or some kind of literary mind-reading sorcery.
“Will those work?”he asked, his tone carefully neutral.“I wasn’t sure which genre you preferred, so I aimed for variety.”
She stared at the spot just below the collar of his shirt, the exact point where his top button had been left undone.A glimpse of skin.A breath of vulnerability.
“Those are perfect,” she said quietly.“They’ve been on my list for a while.Thank you.That was…incredibly thoughtful.I know I’m already disrupting your life by being here.”
There was a long pause, so long that she thought he might let the moment drop.Then his voice, low and unyielding, filled the space between them.
“You’re not putting me out.”
And then nothing else.
No sweet words.No teasing smile.No confession of affection.Just a statement, as smooth and unreadable as everything else about him.
She held her breath, waiting for something more.You’re beautiful.I’m glad you’re here.I think about you every second I’m not pretending not to think about you.
Instead, he turned to the servant.“Dinner is ready.”
Nahla exhaled slowly, hiding her disappointment behind the rim of her wine glass.She followed him to the dining room, her heels clicking lightly against the tile.He moved with quiet confidence, never looking back to see if she was following.
But then he pulled out her chair, and her chest squeezed.
She hesitated.Her body remembered the way his fingers had brushed her skin yesterday.The warmth of his touch, the quiet care of it.The last time he’d looked at her, she’d practically melted into the kitchen tiles.
She couldn’t handle that again.
But there was no polite escape, so she sat.Carefully.Elegantly.As still as possible, as if stillness might shield her from whatever he made her feel.
It didn’t.
Not even close.
Chapter 14
Mikail watched as Nahla’s pert behind settled on the embroidered dining room chair.It took every ounce of his considerable self-discipline not to lean in and brush the loose wisps of hair off the nape of her neck.He wanted to trace the delicate curve of her spine, press a kiss against her bare shoulder, and risk undoing every ounce of restraint he’d spent a lifetime perfecting.
Instead, he gritted his teeth, curled his fingers into fists, and marched to the other side of the table with all the dignity of a man on the edge.
He sat.Napkin over his lap.Jaw clenched.Controlled.
Then the waiter set a bowl of soup in front of Nahla—and shesmiledat the other man.A full, glowing, devastating smile that hit Mikail like a sniper bullet.
He glared at the waiter’s back, wondering if a glare could cause spontaneous food poisoning.Unfortunately, the man remained upright.
