Free The Sheikh's Second Chance Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 5) by Cara Albany Page A

me show you."
    Lana finished her drink and stood. Malik gestured in front of himself and Lana started to walk across the deep pile of the carpeted floor. They came to a lift and Malik twisted a key into the lock, opening the doors. Lana raised a brow at Malik. "Please. Enter," he instructed casually. She guessed it wasn't the first time he'd instructed a woman to enter this lift.
    Lana stepped inside, and Malik followed. The doors closed and Lana noticed there were no buttons for choosing floors. She narrowed her eyes. "There is only one destination," Malik explained.
    Lana felt the lift move. She leaned back against the rear wall, and Malik settled next to her. His powerful scent filled the small space. As before, she was taken aback by his sheer physical presence. Here, in the confines of the lift, he seemed to enclose her, forming a protective barrier around her. Lana curled her toes inside her suddenly tight-fitting shoes. She wondered what awaited her when the lift doors would eventually open. They were obviously going up. When they'd entered the club, she had glanced up at the exterior of the tall building with its modern glass designs. It had seemed strangely out of place in the city, almost too modern, as if it was a statement of something, a defiant declaration. No doubt Malik owned it, as he so obviously owned so many things.
    They didn't speak, nor did they exchange glances. It was as if they were both aware of the awkwardness of being in such close proximity, the kind of closeness that seemed almost inappropriate given that they still hardly knew each other.
    The lift slowed suddenly, and the doors opened. Lana stepped out and failed to contain the gasp that leapt to her throat.  
    The room in front of her was the perfect expression of a luxury, bachelor pad. It was all glass and metal surfaces, clean and sharp, ultra modern in every respect. On the far side of the room, tinted windows stretched the length of the room. Lana took a few steps toward the window. She heard the lift doors close behind her, and she knew she was alone in Malik's private apartment.
    Lana walked to the windows and gazed out at the impressive view of the city, with the distant sea shimmering in the late afternoon light.
    Malik halted at her side. "What do you think?"
    Lana smiled. "It's beautiful." She turned to Malik. "I assume you own this place."
    Malik nodded. "The entire building, actually."
    Lana quirked a brow. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
    Malik's smile had certainty and just a touch of defiance about it.
    Lana turned and gazed around the apartment. "Looks like a bachelor place, if you want my honest opinion," she offered.
    "I wasn't really asking, but since you insist, I suppose you're right," he replied. Now it was his turn to be snarky, she thought. Maybe she deserved that. Perhaps it wasn't her place at all to judge how he lived.
    A dinner had been laid out for them on a long table in the adjacent dining room. It also had stunning views across the city. Lana wondered just how much of this had been planned, and she had to conclude that all of it must have been arranged by Malik, well beforehand.  
    Was he simply trying to be polite, following his brother's advice, no doubt? Or was he trying to impress Lana? If he was trying to make an impression, why was he doing that?
    The food was delicious, and the conversation between them settled into a combination of witty one-liners designed to keep things light between them and occasional attempts to dig a little deeper into one another's past.
    Each one of those efforts ended in failure and Lana was glad that they had. It would be best if they didn't confess too much to one another. There was no sense in doing that.
    After the meal was finished, they sat for a while and continued to chat. Lana learned that Malik was a skilful conversationalist. No doubt that particular skill had been honed through years of practice, and in this very place.  
    Malik seemed extraordinarily proud of