The Sheikh's Pretend Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 2) (3 page)

"I can see we're not going to come to any agreement on how we may proceed with your predicament in the north," she said.

"Is that how you see it? A predicament."

"We'll see how it looks after I've talked with Mr. Al Jafhar."

Immediately she saw Raz's eyes widen, and she was sure his face paled slightly. "Karim Al Jafhar?"

"Yes. Your neighbor, I believe. He agreed to meet with me while I'm here."

Ella leaned back slightly. She heard Raz draw in a deep breath. The muscle at the corner of his jaw twitched, and his lips tightened into a thin line.

"You will learn nothing from him," Raz stated bluntly. "You have no need to speak with him."

"Really? I'll be the judge of that," she said firmly.

Ella saw Raz's shoulders tighten. He glanced at the ceiling briefly, then peered into her eyes. "Karim isn't a man you should be consorting with," he said.

Ella gasped. "I'd hardly describe it as consorting," she said. "He's years older than me. Not my type," she said trying to pass it all off as a joke. But, she saw how seriously Raz was taking the subject.

"You are hardly likely to get the truth from him. He is a liar and not to be trusted."

"While you, of course, are to be trusted," Ella said defiantly once again. She was beginning to savor the sensation of winding Raz Al Kharif around her little finger.

Raz drew in a deep breath, his chest broadening until he suddenly seemed huge in front of Ella. "I am a man of my word. If I say something, it will be believed. If I make a promise, then I will keep it, no matter what."

Once again Ella knew that she had touched a raw part of Raz, tugged on a piece of him that was his true self. It seemed that she had learned so much about this almost complete stranger in such a short time.
 

"And what exactly are you promising me?" Ella asked.

Raz sighed, and his body relaxed. A forced smile creased his lips. "If you insist on remaining in Qazhar, then I will make it my duty to ensure that your stay here is a pleasant and safe one."

"Is that all?" Ella asked raising a brow.

Raz met her gaze with a rebellious grin. "For the moment," he said slowly.

Ella felt her breath catch in her chest. In spite of her best efforts at remaining composed, she could feel her heart beat faster. Were those butterflies in her stomach?

Ella considered his suggestion for a few moments. Perhaps it did make sense that she, at least, allow Raz to provide some protection for her. Ella was alone in a strange kingdom. She knew how to take care of herself and had faced plenty of scrapes in her travels. But, the situation in Qazhar was fraught with possible dangers. She'd heard of charity workers getting into all sorts of trouble.
 

Ella nodded. "I agree."

Raz's face brightened.

"But on one condition," Ella said.
 

Raz frowned. "What is it?"

"That I only be accompanied to meetings. All other times I must be left alone. The last thing I want is to be followed around."

Raz cocked his head to one side. "Understandable. You are an independent woman, are you not?"

Ella narrowed her eyes. "Are you mocking me, Mr Al Kharif?"

Raz grinned. "Not at all. I'm merely happy that I now know you will be in safe hands while you are in my kingdom."

Ella paused, shocked by the sudden implication of what he had just said. "And whose hands will those be?" she asked determined not to let him think she hadn't caught his drift.

Raz said nothing in reply. He merely gave Ella a knowing look and moved away from the table. "Let me get you a car, to take you back to your hotel," he said pressing a button on the intercom on his desk.

Ella listened to him instruct his secretary. She watched as he bent down, speaking into the intercom.
 

What had she gotten herself into? She'd known that coming here would throw her into a maelstrom of conflicting interests.

However, there was one thing she hadn't banked on during the entire trip to Qazhar. And that was, becoming the very obvious focus of intense interest of one of the most attractive men she had ever seen.
 

Ella had just placed herself in the hands of the Sheikh of Qazhar.

CHAPTER THREE

After Ella had left the room, Raz had to sit down and desperately try to recover his composure. Meeting the feisty American had left him shaking. Adrenaline coursed through his system in the wake of his encounter with the bold, determined and breathtaking woman.
 

Raz had to admire her spirit. It had been a long time since a woman had affected Raz like that. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, recalling her full figure; her long legs shimmering with their nylon covering; her captivating, even features; the deep pools of her eyes; the luscious thickness of her hair.

Raz tried to swallow but found his throat tight with a sudden surprising desire.
 

Ella Brant.

More than once during their meeting, he had wanted to reach out and touch her hair; he'd had to restrain the urge to lean close to her and feel her heat. He had seen how she had reacted to him. It wasn't the first time he had provoked such a reaction from a woman. But, somehow, with Ella things were different.

Never had he been so wrong about a woman. He felt mildly ashamed of his gross misconceptions before meeting her. There was no doubt that Ella had a good heart beating beneath those firm, beautiful breasts. The same breasts Raz had tried so hard to avoid looking at as she had sat opposite him, defying him, battling with him.
 

Raz smiled as he recalled her proud, defiant poise as she had glared at him, challenging his every attempt at humoring the spunky American, who had so boldly walked into his life.

Raz realized that his heart was racing unnaturally fast. He inhaled deeply, reacting to the sudden silence of the room. There was still a slight hint of Ella's perfume hovering in the air around his desk. He relished it and couldn't contain the urge to smile.

Ella Brant had proven herself to be more than capable of facing Raz down in an argument. Raz couldn't recall the last time he had gone face-to-face with a woman as he had just done with Ella. It had been exhilarating!

He thought of her accusations against himself. Was she right? Was there indeed a problem in the border area of his kingdom about which even Raz wasn't aware? What if she was onto something?
 

Raz decided he would have to look into things more closely. But, there was still one thing that worried him. Sheikh Karim Al Jafhar's involvement meant that it was possible Ella could be unwittingly putting herself in danger. If that was the case, then Raz's offer of protection now seemed urgent, even critical to Ella's safety. It would do his kingdom's reputation no good if a woman like Ella came to harm while a guest in his country.

Raz realized that the offer of protection which he had made initially for purely selfish motives might actually be vital if Ella was to pass her time in Qazhar safely.

Providing protection for Ella had assumed the proportions of a duty, as well as a very welcome pleasure. Right at this moment, Ella would be safely on her way back to her hotel in the back of one of his armor-plated limousines driven by one of his most trusted bodyguards. It was the least she deserved.
 

Ella Brant was a woman who must be protected, Raz said to himself. Even if it meant it would be Raz himself would take on the honor of doing the protecting.

****

Ella sat in the back seat of the limousine and gazed out through the dark tinted windows at the passing streets. She allowed herself to sink back into the soft leather seats. The fresh smell of the leather filled the interior of the limo.
 

The tall, barrel-chested, dark-suited driver hadn't spoken to her since meeting her at the front door of Raz's office. And now, Ella felt even more alone, with the glass partition that separated her and the silent chauffeur. The only sound inside the limo was the low hum of the engine. Ella had never encountered such luxury before. Most of her life had been lived in modest circumstances. Her only exposure to wealth had been at fund-raising events, where the affluent class had turned up to carry out their duty and donate.

Ella ran her hand over the smooth leather of the seat. This was a whole different world. She could see how seductive wealth could be. And, speaking of seductive, her mind drifted back to her encounter with Raz Al Kharif. The oil Sheikh of Qazhar.

Ella drew in a deep breath and sighed. What did she make of him? He was undoubtedly attractive. She had been taken aback by the sheer animal quality of his physical presence. Ella's experience with men had been limited, to say the least. It wasn't something she liked to talk, or think, about too much.

Raz was nothing like the men Ella had ever dated. But, then again, how could he be? He existed on a different level of existence. His wealth gave him access to so many things Ella couldn't even dream of having in her life.

Ella glanced out the window, trying to drive those insistent thoughts of Raz Al Kharif firmly out of her mind. But, no matter how closely she looked at the passing stores and people walking along the sidewalks, she couldn't get rid of thoughts about Raz.

How could someone like Raz have made such an impression on her? She couldn't make sense of it. As far as Ella was concerned, she was here in Qazhar on an errand of mercy. She had a mission to expose a great wrong being done to an indigenous tribe who had lived for centuries in the region bordering the two kingdoms. Now, their lives were being threatened by rapacious oil exploration, and Ella was sure that either Raz Al Kharif or Karim Al Jafhar were responsible in some way. Ella was determined to hold one, or both, to account.

But, meeting Raz had made things more than a little complicated. The last thing she'd expected was that he would be so handsome and charismatic. Her image of oil sheikhs had been entirely different. Raz looked more like a playboy billionaire than Ella's idea of a wizened old man in charge a country's energy resources.

And, in fact, Raz didn't just look like a playboy billionaire. He had all the appearance of a very dangerous and beguiling specimen of male. One that Ella knew she should steer well clear off.

In spite of herself, Ella felt a quivering in her middle as she recalled his imposing, lithe figure leaning toward her as his lower back rested against the front of the desk. As he'd looked down at her, his eyes filled with feral desire, Ella had felt something shift in her core, something completely surprising. Every nerve in her body had tingled, and she hadn't been able to control the sensation, no matter how hard she had tried.
 

Even resuming her argument with him had only served to heighten the surprising desire that had briefly overcome her.
 

There had been something, though which had really shocked her. Right now, Ella was mildly ashamed to admit it.

The feelings that had briefly flooded her body had felt good.
 

So good.

Ella closed her eyes, trying block out the sights of the passing street. She inhaled, trying to steady her nerves.
 

Had he noticed? Was it possible that Raz hadn't seen the effect he'd had on Ella? She doubted it. He was too used to the effect he had on women not to have noticed. And that made her think of one thing which caused her jaw to tighten.

Had he tried to use his obvious, primal sexuality to stop Ella from pursuing the truth? Ella frowned at that thought. Surely he couldn't be so brazen, so callous, as to tempt her with promises he had no intention of keeping.

Maybe he had simply been playing her for a fool.

Indignation rose within Ella. Well, she would show him.

Ella dug into her back and drew out her cellphone. It was time to speak to Karim Al Jafhar.

****

"I'm so glad you called me, Miss Brant," Karim Al Jafhar said, his gray-haired brows furrowing, his deep-set eyes leering at her. Ella wished he wouldn't look at her like that. "I heard you were in Qazhar and wanted to talk to you about the unfortunate material which was released to the media."

She glanced over Karim's shoulder at the two heavily muscled guards who had accompanied their elderly boss to the reception area of Ella's hotel. Both men stood like statues glancing around at the people milling around the marble and glass space. Outside, darkness had fallen, and the lights in the hotel lobby seemed unusually bright.

Ella nodded and tried to maintain her composure. "It seemed like a good opportunity to speak with you," she replied. "I'm only going to be here a short while."

"Really?" Karim said leaning forward. "And how are you enjoying your stay here, so far?"

Ella frowned. "This is not a holiday, Sheikh Al Jafhar," she said.

Ella saw him stiffen at the way she had addressed him. She wondered if she had transgressed some unwritten rule of etiquette. Maybe those rules didn't apply to her.

"Of course, it isn't," he replied. "This is a most serious business. And the attention it has brought to my kingdom has not gone entirely unnoticed by the delegates at the upcoming conference."

Karim shifted the tangle of loose white robes away from around his feet. He was dressed in traditional garb. Ella thought he looked as if he'd stepped out of a history book, but she immediately chided herself for her insensitivity to his cultural ways. Who was she to judge?

Ella leaned back in the soft chair and asked herself once again if she had acted wisely in contacting Karim and requesting this meeting. She had known from her contacts that the ruler of the neighboring kingdom was attending an energy conference in the city. It was her best chance to meet with him and confront him with the same allegations she had thrown at Raz only hours before.

Ella lifted the small cup of coffee to her lips and peered at Karim. The coffee was dark and bitter, and it made her flinch. Karim noticed her expression and she could see thought behind his eyes. He was trying to evaluate her, size her up. But, whereas Raz had looked at her with hungry desire, Karim's gaze was one filled with suspicion and caution.