The Sheik's Scandal The Sheik's Scandal (The Raminar Family #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,3

and their inability to cope with that grief had left them silent, trying to emulate Talia and her older brothers who had needed to appear stoic in public during the funeral. They’d also discovered that Orella, in her petty, selfish way, had told the sweet, vulnerable girls that they were chatterboxes and their constant questions were going to kill her. Those were the last words that Elsa and Ellora had heard from her mother before she’d died and they’d taken them to heart.

Thank goodness Amit, her oldest brother and ruler of Izara, had thought to hire Harper, a trained psychologist with expertise in grief counseling. And thank goodness those two had fallen in love. Talia’s features relaxed into a genuine smile for the first time that night at the thought of Amit and Harper. They were so madly in love, it was wonderful to see. Amit had always been such a gruff, silent man, the burdens of leading the country weighing heavily on him. Then Harper had arrived and her smile and insight had brightened everyone’s world, especially Amit’s.

Those thoughts, and the jealousy that stabbed in the vicinity of Talia’s chest whenever she thought about Amit’s happiness, caused her to flinch. Looking around at the club, the pounding lights and the inebriated patrons, Talia sighed. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t the daring and adventurous type. Talia hated nightclubs. She hated the overwhelming music that never seemed to change and she wasn’t a heavy drinker, so not even alcohol could make this night worthwhile. She might have enjoyed this scene when she was younger, but she’d moved on. She’d grown up!

Looking around with disdain at the other patrons, Talia needed to accept that she was the boring, unadventurous type. The responsible one. Already, it was past eleven o’clock and she had meetings scheduled for eight o’clock the next morning. Plus, she’d been up early this morning, sitting in meetings for most of the day. So why was she still here? Why had she agreed to come out with her college friends tonight?

Because her friends had called and convinced her that it would be fun. They’d convinced her that she needed to relax and “let loose” for a while. They’d guilted her into coming tonight, whining that Talia had abandoned them too often.

This kind of scene wasn’t fun. With a shock of clarity, Talia realized that this had never been fun. She’d enjoyed being included and had tried to fit in. But in reality, she simply wasn’t this kind of a person.

Setting her half-finished martini down on the low table in front of her, she stood up, catching her friends’ attention. “I have to go, ladies,” she announced.

“No!” Cary whined, standing up with a slight wobble on her five inch stiletto shoes. “You can’t leave now! We haven’t even started dancing!”

“Seriously, Talia, you can’t go,” Jessica chimed in, standing as well, although with better balance than Cary. “Why don’t you look around and check out some of the men? There are tons here. Surely one might tempt you into staying for a bit longer.”

The group giggled and Talia got the impression that they’d been laughing at her single status. That suspicion only cemented her desire to leave.

“No, I just…”

“Ooh!” Desiree interrupted, pointing her drink across the dance floor. “Look at him! He looks…dangerous!”

All four turned to look in the direction Desiree drunkenly pointed. That’s when Talia gasped as her gaze collided with dark, dangerous eyes. How did she know that the man’s eyes were dark when the whole room was dark? Because she’d seen him before. Talia had been thinking of her mystery man ever since that moment in the hotel. The moment had been so brief, just a glimpse through a doorway, but she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind.

Now he was here?

He turned in that moment and their eyes locked. Talia’s heart thudded as she watched him, her body sparkling with tension and awareness. He was surrounded by dancers, although there seemed to be a bubble around him. Even so, Talia could see that he was taller than everyone else by at least several inches, his shoulders broad and powerful. Still, it wasn’t his height or his shoulders that caught her attention and interest. It was that look, the searing power in his gaze that whispered softly, enticingly, that this man was dangerous.

That elemental spark she’d felt earlier today was now a flame. And it felt as if it might be throbbing inside of her, telling