Page 17 of My Arabian Billionaire

But it was toolate.

The sheikh had already bent his head, cupped her breasts, and took one nipplein.

Oh. My. God.

She tried her best to resist the sweet pleasure of his suckling mouth, but it was impossible. It felt too, too good. Oh, so, so good. And before she knew it, her fingers were the ones threading through his silky hair this time, gripping his head hard as she pushed her nipple deeper into his mouth.

A moan of protest escaped her when he lifted his head, but it turned into a whimper of desire when he moved to suckle her other breast.

Oh, this felt heaven – and maybe it would be heaven, if only a devil like him wasn’t the one laying a claim to herbody.

By the time the sheikh carried Harper to his bed, she couldn’t keep her eyes open, couldn’t even think of protesting against the liberties he was taking. Three orgasms in a row, she thought dizzily. Was that normal for a man? For a woman?

When he joined her in bed and hauled her close, she told herself that she could justify letting it happen because she was bone-deep exhausted. She could get mad at the sheikh later, when she wasn’t so sleepy.

As the sheikh pulled the covers over them, a thought nagged at her about the setup. There was something she was missing. Something important –

But the thought eludedher.

Tomorrow, she could – would – think aboutit.

But notnow.

Now, she just wanted to burrow in the sheikh’s arms and forget about the world.

* * *

Harper dreamedabout the first time she and her father had flown back to America after his hero’s welcome in Ramil. She had never been the popular type, but when she had shown up in school the following Monday, Harper had been shocked at the way everyone was suddenly too nice to her. The boys kept telling her she was cute, and even the popular girls were saying she should hang out with them onetime.

And fool her, she had believed it was like her Cinderella story had unfolded in real life. She had thought that the kids at school had probably seen the press photos from Ramil, and since she had worn her nice dress and some makeup that time, they had finally realized she wasn’t that ordinary afterall.

She really had believed this until the cliché happened.

Harper was in one of the cubicles when she overheard Talia and her squad entering the restroom in a flurry of giggles. She had been about to step out and say hi when she heard Talia gasp, ‘Oh my God, I still can’t get over the look on her face when we told her we should go hang sometime. Like, for real? She really thinks we want to hang out forher?’

More giggles had followed.

‘Be ready to keep faking it for the rest of the year. Just keep thinking about all those hot sheikhs we can date if she takes us withher.’

Harper had considered confronting the girls afterwards, but in the end she had let it go. In the end, she had simply allowed herself to change into a grouch, a shrew – someone who said hurtful things first…so that they’d know she was tough, and they couldn’t hurther.

Even though it always didhurt.

* * *

Khalil spentthe entire morning the next day locked up in his office and doing his best to get as much work done. One taste of Harper’s sweet body was more than enough to cement his plans for her. She would be his queen, and he would let nothing stand in hisway.

Or so he had thought.

It was a few minutes past noon when the sheikh received a call from Altair, and he answered it right away. “This is unusual.”

“It is,” the other sheikh drawled.

Khalil frowned, thinking that it was unlike Altair to be anything other than direct and concise when calling him during official hours. Finally, he asked, “I hope it isn’t badnews?”

“That depends. What do you think of Ms. Harper Griffiths requesting for permission to leave the palace and fly back to America?”

Khalil stiffened. “Deny the request.” The sheikh’s tone was steely.

Altair smiled. So Tarif had been telling the truth. Their Emir Sheikh was feeling something rather special for the American, regardless of whether he knew it or not. “I’m afraid it’s too late, brother. The security chief had already approved the request when I was informed---”

He heard a click on the other end of theline.

Khalil had hung up onhim.

Altair put the phone down and, swinging his chair around to face his waiting aide, he murmured, “Keep stallingher.”

“We could perhaps escort her back to Emir Sheikh’s office---” The younger man’s voice trailed off when the sheikh shook hishead.

“No need to make it easy for Khalil. It’s good for him to have a challenge once in a while.” And for both their sakes, Altair hoped that Harper would challenge the sheikh every step of the way. Few people could bear to accept this, but things that came too easy were never meant tolast.

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