Free Defying her Desert Duty by Annie West Page B

release her, as she’d demanded, but sling her over his shoulder and carry her somewhere private where he could ravage her sultry mouth and possess her seductive body with the thorough attention they deserved.
    A flash of incendiary heat roared through Zahir’s veins, tightening his body to instant, painful readiness. His hand clenched so hard on the tiny coffee cup, he feared he’d breakthe handle. With stiff fingers he released it and slid his hand from the table.
    With one casual remark she’d accelerated his pulse from zero to the speed of sound in an instant. It was unprecedented. It was
dangerous
.
    ‘Zahir?’ Dark eyes searched his. This time the throb of electricity between them was more than sexual. It struck right at his core, as if she could do the impossible and delve into his psyche. ‘Why did you watch me like that?’
    She was persistent. And naïve, he realised with shock, if she really had to ask. If she had any sense, she’d leave such questions safely unspoken. Was she more naïve than he’d assumed? The notion disturbed him.
    Or was this a double bluff from a woman who knew her sexual power and was trying to toy with him?
    Resentment surfaced. He was no woman’s pawn.
    ‘I assumed you wouldn’t want me approaching the table and discussing your business in front of everyone.’
    He saw from her frown she wasn’t satisfied with his answer.
    ‘But you sat there for
ages
.’
    Silently he held her gaze. He had no intention of pandering to her ego by explaining a response that shouldn’t be: his instant, logic-destroying attraction to Hussein’s chosen bride.
    Damn it. Why couldn’t Hussein have sent someone else—a whole team of someone elses—to bring his fiancée home?
    His heart plunged. The answer was easy. Because Zahir was the one Hussein trusted above all.
    Shame drenched him.
    Abruptly he shoved his chair back across the gravel and shot to his feet.
    ‘Did you want to see the grounds?’
    ‘You don’t need to stay. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.’ From the corner of his eye he saw her spring to her feet. Eager for more sightseeing? Or for another chance to escape his vigilance?
    For the first time in years Zahir felt unsure. Usually instinctcombined with thorough research gave him all the certainty he needed. With Soraya he’d skipped the research, believing this a quick, simple task. As for instinct … He firmed his lips against a bitter laugh. He no longer trusted his instincts where she was concerned.
    ‘I have no other pressing business.’ He slipped some cash under his cup and gestured for her to lead the way, ignoring the flash of dismay in her dark eyes. ‘I’m curious to see what the place has to offer.’ Especially if it meant getting to know the real Soraya Karim.

CHAPTER SIX
    S ORAYA told herself she was disappointed he didn’t give her the choice to explore alone. Yet disappointment didn’t explain the curling awareness in the pit of her stomach, nor the tingle of heat between her shoulder blades where his gaze rested as she led the way down the path beside the wide sweep of lawn.
    They stopped at a model of a spiral blade for a flying machine, big enough for a person to stand beneath and turn the handle to make it rotate.
    ‘It’s more elegant than the modern design.’ She tried hard to focus on the model rather than the man beside her. Her nostrils twitched appreciatively at the scent of his warm skin with a hint of desert spice. She’d carried that scent on her own skin after wearing his jacket. It disturbed her how much she relished it.
    ‘Personally I don’t care how it looks,’ he drawled. ‘So long as it keeps me in the air. I’d rather a modern chopper that works than one that looks elegant.’
    Soraya huffed with amusement and looked up at the sail turning above her head. She didn’t want to relax with Zahir, for there was an undercurrent between them that unsettled her. These tiny hints of dry humour appealed to her too much. It was