Page 47 of Desert King's Forbidden Temptation

Her hair she’d pulled into a loose ponytail, and on her feet, she wore a pair of dark socks of Tariq’s. He was awake when she emerged, and the kitchen smelled like coffee and pastry.

‘Good morning.’ He too was dressed, the thobe he’d carefully removed and stored the night before wrapped around his body, but it didn’t matter. Last night, she’d seen him without a shirt, and that imagery would be with her always.

He lifted his gaze to her and offered a tight smile. ‘There’s coffee in the pot by the stove, and pistachio buns too. My security detail will arrive in around ten minutes.’

Disappointment was like a rock, dropping to her toes. ‘Ten minutes?’ She fairly groaned the words and had to force herself to take a breath and calm her fluttering nerves. ‘I’m surprised they were able to clear the road so quickly.’

‘Apparently, the idea of their Sheikh being stranded in a cabin is a powerful motivator.’

Something occurred to her, something unpleasant and tricky to bring up. ‘Tariq, when they arrive and see me here, won’t they think—’

‘No.’ The word was uttered with confidence. ‘They know I am a man of honour. No one will think anything.’

Her smile was ambivalent. ‘And yet, it could have.’

‘It didn’t. Neither of us would have let it.’

Her eyes held his and then she looked away, not wanting to admit how close she’d come to creeping out again, to crouching beside the sofa and asking him, begging him, to kiss her.

‘But what if they think—’

‘They will think nothing,’ he said more firmly. ‘And even if they were to think it, they would certainly not say it. My security guard is made up of experienced servicemen. Their discretion is expected.’

She pulled her lips to the side, hoping he was right. She didn’t want Elana to hear of anything like this. It would be too hard to explain, and the last thing she wanted was to hurt her friend.

‘Are we going back to the capital today?’

‘I am. My flight will leave as soon as I get to the airport. Someone from my guard will drive you across country. It should take most of the day.’

She stared at him, her heart strangling in pain. ‘I see.’

‘I presume this is what you’d prefer?’

How tragic was she? Even given her fear of flying, she’d prefer that to driving, if it meant an extra hour with him.

‘I suppose it makes sense,’ she admitted begrudgingly, not holding his eyes.

‘That was my thought.’ He sipped his coffee, eyes lingering on her face a moment. ‘I’ve given instruction that marriage negotiations will resume tomorrow.’

He wasn’t being deliberately cruel, she was sure of it, but Eloise felt as though she’d been punched in the gut, and badly winded. All the warmth drained from her face and unconsciously, she took a step forward, her fingers pressing to the edge of the kitchen bench for support. Everything between them had changed. He was walling himself off from her, pushing back any intimacy they shared, treating her like...a stranger. It was courteous but so cold, and it almost killed her to feel that from him.

‘Tariq, what’s happened?’

His eyes met hers, something stirring in their depths. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You’re being so...’

She stared at him, searching for words, for how to finish her sentence, but everything was shifting and she could no longer tell what was real and what was fantasy. What if she’d misunderstood everything? What if he’d been flirting with her for fun? To entertain himself on an otherwise boring evening? What if he did this sort of thing all the time? What if it had all been a lie?

And so the walls he was erecting somehow extended extra bricks and reached out to wrap around her as well, offering her protection she badly needed. She straightened, squaring her shoulders and staring at him with a carefully controlled expression.

‘You’re right,’ she said, instead. ‘This is for the best.’

Oh, so briefly, surprise shimmered in his eyes and then he nodded. ‘Help yourself to some refreshments.’

She ground her teeth together, hurt and smarting. But to hide those feelings, she stalked into the kitchen and poured herself a coffee, heart bruised and aching.

She only had a chance to take two sips before a large four-wheel drive trekked through the woods, covered in dust. Six men in military uniforms jumped out, and a moment later, another four-wheel drive pulled up.

---