Page 5 of The Sheikh's Fake Fiancée

“Except I’m not pretending. Our engagement might be a sham but our attraction is real.”

She sighed heavily even as her heart gave a savage, wanton kick. It was lucky their engagement wasn’t real. She didn’t trust herself anymore. “Attraction is only skin-deep, a short term thing. I can do fake.”

He nodded, though he seemed more distant. “We only have today and tonight to get to know one another before we make landfall. Let’s make the most of that time and ensure our affection looks authentic.”

She took a sip of her tropical cocktail. It was creamy and decadent. It could have been liquid cardboard. “Of course.”

That he was a guy any girl would dream to have as their fiancé, and one day have as their husband, should make the pretense all the easier. It didn’t. A man—a sheikh—like Kain, wouldn’t look twice at her now. She was used goods…damaged.

No matter how much her reputation didn’t bother him, she couldn’t help but feel he’d find true love with someone totally unlike her.

Kain watched her intently, his eyes assessing. “You’ve gone quiet. Talk to me, shortcake. Tell me what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling?”

She twirled the drink’s straw through her fingers, the umbrella that’d been stabbed into a chunk of pineapple on the rim of her glass making her think of her own heart with a pickaxe inserted deep inside. “I think I’m feeling numb.”

He exhaled heavily. “Good answer. You evaded my question with finesse.” He took a bite of a tiny pastry with creamy smoked salmon. “You will play the part of my fiancée, perfectly.”

Chapter Three

Zania snapped through her clothes that’d been hung on the closet racks in the yacht’s main cabin, quickly rejecting each outfit. Nothing seemed just right for dinner or for her role of loving fiancée.

Kain might view her as little more than an actress, arm candy with a skill at deception thanks to a now uncertain future, but she’d give him an Oscar winning performance if it meant she could keep her mother in first class care and set herself up for the future.

Her hands stilled on her clothes as her gaze settled on some colorful, tiny strips of fabric that sat on some shelving. Bikinis. They were obviously not her own. She didn’t own anything half as daring.

They must be kept here for visitors, likely for any number of his lady friends. She sucked in a breath as her stomach hollowed out. She’d always conformed to the reserved dress styles of Middle Eastern women and didn’t own anything more than a modest one piece swimsuit.

And look where that got you.

How many women had worn one of these bikinis in the spa on the upper deck with Kain’s appreciative gaze on them?

Her breath huffed back out. Kain was presently occupied talking to the captain of his yacht. He had a small crew, which also included a first mate, a deckhand, an engineer, a stewardess and a chef. Each one ran the yacht like a well-oiled machine thanks to Kain’s high standards.

His absence gave her the privacy needed to change before dinner. No one was here to see her try on the bright yellow bikini she’d selected. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, her whole body hummed at seeing its perfect fit. The yellow brought out the natural golden glow of her skin, and the sheen of her long gold-brown hair, while highlighting the curves of her slender body.

She grabbed an abaya. Its cream-colored fabric with navy zigzag stripes easily hid the sexy bikini. She stepped back. The shapeless gown hid everything, not even hinting at what she wore underneath.

A tread sounded at the cabin door, Kain a presence that seemed to suck away the very oxygen from the room. His dark eyes lingered on her uncovered but pulled back hair, his eyes glinting with approval. “Lunch is ready when you are.”

She hid a smile. If he liked her hair uncovered then he’d love seeing her body without its abaya. “Oh, I’m ready.” She patted her pulled back hair, which sat in a loose bun at her nape. This little interlude with Kain might be fun if she just allowed it. Considering her reputation was already in tatters, what did she have to lose?

Nothing. Yet she had everything to gain thanks to Kain’s generous offer.

Dinner turned out to be a simple meal of roast chicken with fattoush salad and golden-baked potatoes. It was lovely, but she couldn’t escape Kain’s dark gaze, which seemed to see through her and which made her wriggle a little in her seat.

He leaned back in his chair, seemingly content after finishing his small serving. “I love that you kept your head bare,” he murmured huskily. “All I’ve been thinking about the entire time is what your hair must look like falling down past your shoulders.”

She touched her hair self-consciously, her pulse accelerating at his admiration. She might have the looks to make him want her, but she’d never be able to want him in return. Not as someone more than a lover.

Would you even want him as your lover after your last sordid experience?

Yes, perhaps thatwaswhat she needed—a real man who’d make her body sing until she forgot all about her first failed sexual encounter. Even if the most she could hope for was some fun, and if she was lucky, enough passion to rid her of the horrid memories of Tabari’s groping hands and the searing pain of his forced entry.

Goosebumps sprung up on her arms. She’d been so into him she’d thrown away all logic, even her friendship with Aisha, just to be with him. When she’d finally succumbed to him he’d turned into an animal, leaving her with a broken hymen and a broken heart, and with nothing more than a peck on the cheek for her trouble.

He’d used her, violated her. She’d thought he had genuinely cared about her, perhaps even loved her.

How naïve she’d been.

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