Page 16 of Sheikh's Accidental Pregnancy

“I wore heels all day. My feet hurt.” Sara tried her best not to snap at him, but she had lost her patience with his attitude long ago. He did not respond and didn’t stop staring at her. “Working late?” she asked.

She caught his gaze and suddenly felt uncomfortable. “Right,” she said, slowly inching for the door when he still didn’t speak. “Obvious question. Why is it that you can never show me the minimum courtesy?”

That wasn’t exactly true though. He’d been ridiculously generous with the clothing. She’d arrived home from her lunch with the twins to find a tower of boxes and bags waiting for her. They’d contained not only the clothes she’d tried on, but bras and panties and shoes and a whole shelf full of handbags. She had stubbornly refused to carry any of those and had even returned some of them. Whether he’d acted out of kindness or self-interest, she still wasn’t sure, and his attitude toward her certainly hadn’t changed for the better. Normally, when you kiss someone, it means you like them. Obviously, that didn’t apply to Tariq.

Now she was tired, and her patience with his attitude had completely run out. Maybe knowing it was just the two of them in the office made her bolder.

Tariq raised his eyebrows as he pondered her question. “I am not obligated to,” he said. “I’ll be courteous when you’ve earned the privilege.” His voice was now deeper.

“I never did anything to offend you.”

He shrugged, drawing her attention to his shoulders, the flex of his muscles under the crisp white fabric. “Your persona is offensive,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“Who walks around barefoot?”

Sara frowned.You’re the one with an ugly persona. She was in the middle of arguing with him, and his chest was distracting her now. She looked away. How was it that he had time to exercise when he was always working?

“You do not act like a lady,” Tariq added.

“I never claimed to be a lady. I am good at my job, and that’s all you should be concerned about,” Sara shot back.

“Perhaps that would be true in England. But this is Kithab, and you work for the Botros family.”

“Because you’re so freaking special,” Sara mumbled under her breath as she headed for the door. If she stayed in there any longer, she would say things she would regret. She liked Amir and respected him enough not to disrespect his brother, and she did owe Tariq some gratitude, just maybe not as much as he seemed to think. She was halfway to the door when Tariq grabbed her arm and yanked her around.

“What did you say?” he demanded. He pulled her close to him, until she was now standing inches from him. The ease with which he’d pulled her around left her breathless. It took her a moment to find her voice.

“Being a little bit more polite and less judgmental wouldn’t hurt you any,” Sara said. “You might be rich and powerful, but you’re still human, just like everyone else. It’d be nice if you treated people with some basic respect.” She was not going to let him intimidate her. She was going to stand her ground. His gaze had grown darker and more intense. He stared at her, and she stared back. She was not going to look away first.

“You think you can speak to me any way you wish?”

“Let me go.”

“If I don’t?”

WhatwillI do if he doesn’t let go of me?

“Try it and find out.” An empty threat. There was nothing she could do. He called her bluff, keeping his hand on her and sending tingles up her arm. He pulled her even closer to him. Sara stumbled, off-balance, and her hands landed on his chest as she tried to catch herself. Her face was now inches away from his.

Wow, he smells good.

Why hadn’t she noticed his cologne before? It was intoxicating on him—incense and smoke, dark as his personality.

“Show me what you plan to do,” he said as he stared at her lips.

“Please let go,” she whispered. She needed to get out of here. No way did she want a repeat of that kiss in the boutique dressing room. Her body heated and tingled, betraying her will and refuting her lies to herself. She wasn’t prepared for whatever was happening here.

Tariq blinked, some emotion flying across his face. Something softer than she’d ever seen in his eyes before. He let go of her arm, but Sara didn’t move. She felt paralyzed. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to stay or flee.

“Sara… You torment me, woman.” Tariq wrapped one arm around her waist. Her whole body was now flush against his, and both her palms rested on his rock-hard chest. He angled his head and leaned in, and she knew what was coming.

He kissed her more gently than she expected. She did not stop him. Her mind went blank, and her eyes closed. She answered his kiss, opening for him, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue darting in and out, quick forays and longer explorations. Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Her panties grew damp, and she pressed her mound against him, suddenly hungry for something only he could give her. His hands stroked her back.

When she whimpered, he broke the kiss.

Sara was breathing hard and still had her eyes closed. “What are we doing?” she whispered.

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