The Sheik's Reluctant Lover Page 0,1

jacket off during one of the many sitting spells. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any way to get all the way out to the farm on public transit so she had to drive herself, inching along in rush hour traffic.

When she finally pulled up behind the stables, she was hot, miserable, irritated and painfully hungry.

She walked into her father’s cottage and dumped her overnight bag by the door, already feeling better once she smelled the macaroni and cheese scent wafting through his small home. “Dad? I’m home!” she called out. “Can you tell me what the surprise is that couldn’t wait another month?”

Her father stepped out of the kitchen, tossing a dishtowel over his shoulder. The look in his eyes told her something was very wrong. “Glad you’re here!” he said, a little too loudly, his eyes darting from her to the kitchen, then back again worriedly. “Dinner is almost ready. Why don’t you go change and I’ll get everything ready.”

Rachel watched her dad carefully, noting the odd look in his eyes. “Didn’t you mention that you made macaroni and cheese for dinner? I can already smell it so there’s no need to change. I can just dig in.”

He hesitated, glancing behind him and Rachel peered into the kitchen, wondering what he was trying to see.

When the tall man emerged from the tiny kitchen, he took her breath away and her body immediately reacted to those dark, penetrating eyes. He was taller, his shoulders broader and his eyes darker, more dangerous. Everything about him was just….more. She gasped at the sight of him, her eyes taking in the overwhelming presence of the man she’d been avoiding for the past six years. And she’d been doing a damn good job if that until tonight.

Her father shuffled around for a moment before he said, “I’ll just go check on dinner.” And he disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her alone to face her demons.

“Rais!” she breathed, her heart instantly racing, her knees starting to feel weak and wobbly. She couldn’t believe that he was actually here, in her father’s small cottage. It had never felt this tiny before but Rais was so large, he actually had to duck between the kitchen doorway leading to the den area so he didn’t bump his head. And shockingly, he had to angle his shoulders to get through the doorway? Ridiculous, she thought, trying to pull her eyes away from him.

It was difficult, but she finally did it. Unfortunately, her eyes only moved away from his penetrating eyes. Traveling down his body was just as bad. His broad, muscular shoulders tapered to slim hips and long legs that she knew were covered with bulging muscles, just like the rest of him. The man was the epitome of masculinity topped off with an aura of confidence that many, many women found fascinating and alluring.

She was not immune to his magnetism either, which was why she’d tried so hard to avoid visiting her father while he was in residence.

She knew that Rais’ father passed away several years ago, so he was now Sheik Rais Sayyid Tarif Zaman, Sheik of Dunari, she thought in a ridiculous train of thought that left her speechless. She couldn’t even tell him to get out since, technically, this was his cottage, his farm and all of the horses out in the stables were his. He owned the farm here in Virginia so if he wanted to come to his house earlier than anticipated, he could do whatever he pleased.

“It’s been a long time,” Rais finally broke the silence.

His deep, husky voice broke through her crazy thoughts, jilting her mind into overdrive. “Yes. I guess it has been a few years.”

He raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly as he said, “More like six years, I believe.” He leaned against the wall and slid his hands into the pockets of his immaculately tailored slacks, those dark, dangerous eyes never leaving her face. “One might almost imagine that you have been avoiding me.”

Rachel flushed and looked down at her feet. “That would be silly,” she said, hoping he couldn’t see her cheeks flame up in color with the dimmer light in the cottage’s den area. “How have you been?” she asked, suddenly overcome with the need to straighten the magazines that were scattered all over the coffee table and pick up the newspapers that had been carelessly left on the floor. She was nervous and wished she could just slip out the door and fade back into the darkness of