Page 67 of The Sheikh's Desert Princess

Eva gazed at him. He looked amazing. Dressed in his white desert robe with his head covered, he looked like something out of a dream. There was an intensity about his gaze which caused emotion to flame into life within her. Familiar sensation flooded through her and she realized just how glad she was to see him here.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Riaz glanced toward the horse-backed tribesmen who had halted a few feet behind him. "What Abdul told me made it impossible for me to wait back in the camp."

Eva was confused for a moment. She glanced toward Abdul who looked uneasy, as if he knew he was intruding on this scene between Riaz and Eva.

Eva squinted at Riaz. "What did he tell you?"

Riaz drew upright in his saddle. "That Ahmed and his men are nearby. That you might be in trouble."

Eva frowned. "You came all this way because of that?"

Riaz nodded. "I had to. I couldn't allow Ahmed the chance to disrespect you again."

"How did you think he'd find me?" Eva asked. "The desert is a big place."

Even as she said those words, she knew they sounded feeble. She knew why he'd come all this way. He hadn't needed much of a reason to come after her.

Riaz turned to Abdul and spoke quickly. Then Abdul rode off.

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

"You have been seen," Riaz announced bluntly. "By Ahmed. He knows where you have hidden yourself. He will be here in a few moments. Unless we do something to change his mind."

"How do you know that?" Eva demanded.

Riaz's gaze drifted lazily around the dunes. "This isn't going to fool someone like Ahmed. It isn't a hiding place. I'm certain you were seen before you came down here."

Eva was shocked for a moment. Had Riaz already worked that out? Had he already assessed the danger? She recovered her composure. "And you? How did you find me here?"

Riaz shrugged. "I know how to track a horse in the desert, Eva." He lifted a querying brow. "Don't you know that already?"

"Of course," Eva replied. "Those desert skills. How could I have forgotten?" she said acidly. "Now that you've found me, what next?" she continued.

Riaz moved his horse closer to Eva's. "Isn't that obvious, habibti?"

Eva felt her mouth open with mild surprise. "Why do you insist on calling me that, Riaz?"

Riaz's brows furrowed and he looked intently at Eva. "Because it's the truth." He moved even closer. Now he was within touching distance, but he held onto his reins tightly. "You know it to be the truth. Even if you insisted on leaving so hastily."

Eva felt herself bristle. "Are you accusing me of something?" she demanded.

Riaz grinned calmly. "You and I both know what happened back there. You cannot deny what it meant."

Eva turned her head away from him, determined not to be swayed by those dark eyes, by those powerful, even features.

Of course she knew where he was going with all this. Knew that he'd come out here to try to claim her one last time.

Her horse shifted beneath Eva, as if sensing the tension in her. Still she held her gaze firmly away from Riaz.

Then she felt his fingers on her chin and he gently guided her face back to his. His gaze was even more penetrating than before. She felt her heart quicken, sensed her emotions shifting by the moment.

She couldn't allow this to happen, she told herself. She'd already made it clear to him that there was no future for them together. It didn't matter what had happened last night. That kind of madness was all too common. Didn't he realize that?

But the way he was looking at her was simply melting her insides. Her mind was telling her one thing, but her treacherous body seemed determined to lead her inexorably to a terrible betrayal of everything she held true.

Riaz leaned even closer and for a moment she was sure he was about to seize this chance to kiss her. She felt her throat tighten, anticipation growing inside her at the prospect of how that would make her feel.

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