Sidra couldn’t believe it when the man stormed into her life. He was everything she’d been looking for in a man; tall, handsome, intelligent – and after several secret meetings, she also found out that he was the ultimate lover.

When their brief interlude is cut short, Sidra is hopeful that they might be able to manage a long distance relationship. But after three weeks with no word from Rashid, she had to accept that he had a different perception of their liaison than she had.

Rashid thought that Sidra was as close to perfection as possible. She was funny and intelligent not to mention beautiful and sexy. Unfortunately, he’d lost track of her when he had to travel back to Tasain to resolve an emergency. When he finally found her again after three weeks of searching, he found her having a drink with another man! He was livid and tricked her in order to get her back on his turf.

His campaign to get her to fall in love with him had barely begun when he discovers that the weekend they’d spent together had created a baby! Now he had to marry Sidra as soon as possible.

Was he marrying her only to protect his unborn child, Sidra worried? Or was there more to his feelings than just preserving the next heir to the throne?

*  *  *

  And here, for your reading pleasure, is our free romance excerpt:

Chapter 1

The storm approaching was extraordinary with one half of the morning sky lit up with the rising sun and the other half blazing with fierce lightening as an early morning storm quickly approached.  It was a rare, meteorological event that should have captured Rashid’s attention, but his eyes were captured on something much more fascinating.

The woman standing on the side of the road, bent over the hood of her car had possibly the cutest derriere he’d ever seen in his entire life.  A sweet bottom like that should be on a woman much more rotund, but instead, that amazing, adorable bottom was paired with a slender waist and long, lean legs that were slightly tanned and looked to be well toned underneath the well worn denim shorts.  Her lustrous, dark brown hair cascaded over one shoulder and, although he couldn’t see the face at the moment, he was hoping that her facial features would match the figure he’d been surveying for possibly the last five minutes.

While Rashid Samara Bousaid, Sheik of Tasain continued his fascinated perusal, his eyes glanced up at the storm once again, then at the black smoke rising out of the obviously broken engine of the ancient car.  Thinking to do the heroic act and save his damsel in distress, he nudged his stallion forward with his heels.  As ruler of Tasain, he rarely had time to ride anymore so when he’d woken with a precious free hour this morning, he’d immediately thrown on a pair of old riding pants and a well worn pair of riding boots and left the house before anyone could use up this unanticipated free time.  Seeing this lovely wood nymph that needed his assistance had only improved his mood.

“Need some help?” Rashid asked as he stopped his horse, Zafir, at the edge of the gravel road.

Sidra pulled her hand off of the filthy radiator where she’d just located the mechanical problem when she heard the deep voice.  She pulled her head out from under the metal hood of the useless vehicle and looked around to identify the voice.  What she saw was definitely not human, and didn’t appear to be friendly at all!  She stumbled backwards once before regaining her footing and realizing that the giant, brown muzzle was part of a horse.  An extremely large horse!

The enormous horse was staring at her with what looked to be furious black eyes and bared teeth.  When she took a step back, she realized that the horse was just standing there on the side of the road waiting and she took a deep breath, putting a hand over her rapidly beating heart.  “Goodness, you startled me,” she said and peered around the horse’s head to see the man sitting in the saddle.  And then her heart truly did increase in pace, feeling as though it might just fly out of her chest.

As she stared at the tall, black haired man with crystal blue eyes, she just about stumbled over her feet all over again.  His skin was tanned and his shoulders were almost as wide as the horse’s.  Or maybe they just looked that way in the white polo shirt he was wearing.

As he climbed down from the horse, her eyes were magnetized by the strong muscles flexing in his legs that she could see even through the material of his riding pants.  As her eyes traveled upwards, she was even more impressed.  Her mind told her to look away, but her eyes had a different opinion and she couldn’t seem to stop herself from surveying the rest of the man.  Broad, muscular shoulders, very tall, and those eyes!  She’d never seen that color blue before and she’d seen lots of blue eyed people in her life.  Maybe it was just the tanned skin and almost black hair that made those eyes appear so incredible, but whatever the reason, the man was really quite magnificent.

“I apologize for startling you,” he replied softly as he approached.  “I saw you from the tree line and noticed the smoke coming from your vehicle.  Do you need some help?”

Sidra finally pulled her eyes away from the man, embarrassed that she’d been staring like that.  Could she be more obvious, she berated herself.

She looked back at the tiny vehicle she’d rented at the airport this morning upon her arrival and wanted to kick the obnoxious machine.  “The alternator belt has snapped and I suspect there’s a hole in the radiator.  So unless you have an extra motor belt and some soldering materials in that saddle bag, I don’t think there’s much you can do, but I appreciate your offer.”  She tried to be brave and hold the man’s gaze, but he was just too tall, too intimidating and just too darn handsome.  She glanced down at her clothes, wishing she was wearing something more sophisticated than jeans shorts and this plain tee-shirt.  Even her hair was probably flat after having traveled most of the night on a cramped plane.  Her only excuse was that it was going to be a hot day and she’d been traveling all night.

Rashid had no idea what an alternator belt was and he suspected that the soldering materials would do something to fix the radiator, but wasn’t sure how.  “I’m afraid I don’t have either of those, but if you tell me where you’re going, I can help you find that location.”

She smiled at his formal words which were softened by the melodic accent but, coming from the United States, she suspected that perhaps most of the people in this country were pretty formal.  His accent didn’t sound British, though.  It was foreign, but she couldn’t place it easily and her mind wasn’t functioning in top form right at the moment.  Her heart sped up crazily when he smiled that incredible smile at her and she had to glance away again, although she peeked back up at him when she found a spare bit of courage.

When his eyebrows went up, she realized that he’d asked her a question and she jumped slightly. “Oh, um…yes…location.”  She slammed the hood of the car closed and pulled the map off of the roof of the car.  She’d spread it out earlier in an effort to try and find out where she was and how she could reach her destination.  She looked back down at the map she’d been trying to figure out and pointed to her desired location.  “I’m visiting a friend and I know she’s here,” Sidra said, pointing to a place on the map she’d identified at the airport, “and I think I’m here.  But nothing seems to be making any sense.”

Rashid looked at the map spread out on the car’s hood and, without cracking a smile, turned the map so that it was oriented properly, which meant that it was no longer upside down.  With a long finger, he pointed to where she was.  “If you follow this road back around,” he explained, smothering his amusement at her groan of frustration, “then you’ll be to your destination in about five minutes.”

Sidra smacked her forehead and shook her head in embarrassment. “I’ve been driving around in this ridiculous rental car for the past hour!  And now you’re telling me I’m only five minutes away?”

“It would appear so,” he said and one side of his mouth turned up with the amusement he couldn’t hide any longer.  “It’s a common mistake,” he lied, trying to make her feel better.  She looked annoyed with herself but her pretty hazel eyes were looking back up at him so he tried to hide his laughter, but it was difficult.

Sidra glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, feeling ridiculous in front of this incredible stranger who probably never had trouble reading a map.  “Go ahead, you can laugh.  I’m a directional idiot but my only excuse is that I’m not used to reading a map.  I generally just plug in the location of wherever I want to go and my car’s GPS tells me to turn right or left.”  She grimaced and looked away, “Or make a U turn and try again when I miss a particular turn.”

Rashid laughed softly and folded her map.  “Since the storm is approaching quickly and your vehicle doesn’t appear able to participate in the endeavor, perhaps you would allow me to help you reach your destination?”

Sidra looked around him, staring at the giant horse, then back up at the handsome man.  “I think I’ll just phone my friend and tell her where I am.  She can pick me up in a few minutes.  Surely she can out-drive that storm,” she said as she glanced back over her shoulder at the approaching dark clouds.

Rashid chuckled at her obvious fear of his horse.  She was cute in a sexy, kittenish kind of way as she looked warily at the large animal.  “Nonsense,” he replied.  “I promise no harm will come to you.”  He turned on his heel and grabbed Zafir’s reigns.  The slender woman was already backing away and shaking her head but he ignored her and threw himself into the saddle.  Maneuvering Zafir alongside the woman, he simply reached down and pulled her onto his lap, then squeezed his knees to tell Zafir to move.  “I’ll have you to your friend’s house in no time,” he said.

Sidra clenched the man’s arms as if they were a life jacket and she could barely breathe for several moments as the horse cantered in the direction she hoped was her friend’s apartment.  She wasn’t sure if her breathlessness was because she was on top of the scary horse or because her whole back was pressed against this man’s muscular chest and abdomen, his thighs pressing against the backs of her legs.

“Relax,” he said a moment later, his mouth sensuously close to her ear and she shivered involuntarily.

“I can’t.”

“What’s your name?” Rashid asked, and pulled her higher up on his thigh to help her get more comfortable, his arm holding her around her stomach and waist.  She was more slender than he’d thought, but round in all the right places.  From his vantage point, he had an excellent view of her lovely breasts, the nude colored lace on the upper swell enticing him as no other lingerie had ever done before.

Sidra heard his voice but honestly wished he would stop talking.  His deep, husky voice was creating ripples of pleasure to shoot throughout her body and she was having a great deal of trouble concentrating on staying on top of the horse.

“Sidra,” she finally whispered and tried to look off into the distance.  She didn’t see the storm clouds, nor did she see the sunrise coming up over the horizon in the other direction.  All she saw were his strong hands holding her even though her eyes were no longer looking downward.  His arms were extremely strong and on the one hand, she felt very secure and comforted by that strength.  But on the other hand, she was more aware of him as a man than she should be.  It was embarrassing to feel so strongly about a man she’d just met only moments ago.

“That’s a very nice name,” he replied.  “Latin meaning ‘of the stars’.  Very appropriate.”

She turned slightly and looked up at him.  “How do you know that?” she asked, then quickly pulled her eyes away.  Those blue eyes were looking at her as if he could tell that she was quivering inside, as if he knew how much she wanted him to touch her!

“Latin is a very basic language.”

She was horrible with languages so couldn’t add anything to that comment.  She supposed Latin was basic but since she could barely pass her required French courses in high school, she had to accept his word for it.  “What’s your name?”

“Rashid.”  He didn’t bother to tell her that very few people outside of his family were allowed to call him by his first name.  He could have told her his title, which was what most people used, but he didn’t want that between them.  There was something about this woman that was different.  He had no basis for that assumption but there was something about her that pulled at him.  Something deep and invisible, but powerful.  He should probably walk away from her, ignore her allure and ride in the other direction.  This feeling, or perhaps instinct, was probably dangerous since he’d just met her.  She could be an assassin for all he knew.  But he was going with his gut on this one, which told him that she was feeling exactly as he was right at the moment.   He couldn’t define it, but it felt wonderful.  And she felt perfect in his arms.

Sidra wanted to ask him so many questions, or perhaps just listen to his deep, sexy voice.  But her mind was blank as his warm hands held her steady on the massive animal.  She wasn’t even concerned about how uncomfortable she was in the saddle because she felt so wonderful wherever he was touching her.  “Where are you from?”

“I own a house over there,” he explained, pointing towards the east.  Sidra glanced in that direction, but all she saw was a line of trees.  There was a fence along parts of the tree line but she had no idea if that delineated the perimeter of his property or if it was just a random fence for one of his neighbors.

“You’re not from Great Britain, are you?” she asked, her curiosity increasing the more she heard him speak.

“No.”

She smiled and turned slightly, looking up at him.  “Are you going to tell me where you are from?”

Rashid considered the possible answers.  He could tell her he was from Tasain and only here on business, or he could name one of several other countries where he owned property.  But for some reason, he didn’t want to lie to this beautiful woman, or even prevaricate.  Evan a half truth seemed like a betrayal.  Odd, he thought silently, he’d never had any qualms about stating his heritage before but with Sidra, he wanted to be just a man who was in the same area as she was.

“I’m actually from Tasain.”

Sidra laughed and looked forward.  “I heard it’s a pretty harsh country.  What do you do there?”

“It’s actually a very beautiful country, if you know how to live in the dessert.”

She hesitated, her fingers still holding his arms, but she no longer needed that reassurance.  The man held her with confidence and strength.  She simply didn’t want to stop touching him, even though he probably didn’t even realize her hands were pressing against his warm skin.

“Where are you from?” he asked after a pregnant pause.

Sidra was relieved.  At least this was something she could talk about.  “I’m from the United States.”

“Which state?”

She smiled.  Most people either didn’t know to ask which state, or they thought everyone was from New York or California.  “I live right outside of Washington, D.C.”

“Maryland or Virginia?” he persisted.

Sidra had to laugh and turn around.  “Virginia of course.”

“Why of course?”

She shook her head and stared forward.  “There’s just a running battle between Maryland and Virginia about which state is more beautiful.  In reality, they’re equally lovely but the underlying argument rages within the confines of the metro area.”

“Is it true about Virginia?” he asked softly.

Sidra knew exactly what he was talking about and blushed, not sure exactly how to answer that.  “I suppose there are many lovers in Virginia.”

“Anyone waiting for you to come back from your European jaunt?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “No.  No one.”

He didn’t say anything for a long time.  Finally she heard him say quietly, “Stupid men in Virginia.”  The comment gave her a soft, warm glow and she secretly hugged the knowledge that he thought she was attractive.  At least, that’s what she thought he might be saying to her.

“And what about you?  Is there someone in Tasain or back at your house that might be missing you while you’re here on business?”

“How do you know I’m here on business and not for pleasure?”

She turned around slightly, looking at his strong, handsome features.  “For some reason, I don’t think you have a great deal of pleasure in your life.”  She blushed when he raised an eyebrow at her statement and Sidra stammered out, “Well, I mean….you don’t seem like the kind of man who takes vacations.”

Rashid chuckled softly, enjoying her embarrassment.  She was an extremely lovely young woman, but when she blushed, her soft cheeks were even more alluring.  “I suppose you’re right.  And I’m here on business for the week.”

She nodded her head and looked around.  They were coming into the village now and she wanted to turn the horse around and have more time with him.  If her directions were correct, Laura’s house was only about three blocks away.  She didn’t want to leave him, even though he hadn’t assured her that he wasn’t taken by some fabulously gorgeous woman.

“I don’t want to drop you off,” he said, his deep voice in her ear and his arms tightened around her waist.

She smiled and bowed her head.  “I don’t want to go either.  You’ve been a wonderful interlude, but I’d better get to my friend’s house.”

“And if I asked you to stay with me at my house?”

Sidra laughed.  “We just met a few moments ago,” she said, but that glow increased in intensity.

Rashid sighed and steered the horse towards the area she’d said her friend resided.  He didn’t mention that many women wouldn’t need to know much more about him other than his title and position before throwing themselves at him.  This woman, as he’d suspected all along, was different though.  He respected that much more about her but that didn’t ease the ache in his chest at the idea of giving her up to her friend.

“She’s just around the corner,” Sidra said, pointing to the red building at the edge of the village that was just starting to stir for the morning.  There were a few people milling about, some with coffee cups in their hand, the paperboy on his bike and a police officer walking out of the diner on the opposite corner.

“Maybe I should just turn around and ride off with you in my arms.  I could convince you to ride away with me in the sunset, Sidra from Virginia.”

She laughed.  “That doesn’t even happen in the movies.”

“What do you do in Virginia?”

“I’m an interior designer.”

“Hmmm…”

She shifted around, trying to figure out what he meant by that mumble.  “What’s that for?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders and pulled on the reigns to stop his horse.  “I was just thinking that I might need your services soon.  Some of my rooms are looking a bit dated.”

Sidra smiled brightly.  “I’d love to help with any projects.”

He swung down over the horse but when she started to follow, he put his hand on her thigh to stop her.  “This isn’t over Sidra.  I want to see you again.”

She looked down at him and felt happiness wash over her.  “I don’t know how that’s going to be possible.  Laura has been trying to get me to visit for months but things are pretty busy right now.”

He put his hands on her waist and lifted her down, holding her in place while he looked into her pretty hazel eyes.  “Things have a way of happening.”

“You’re here!” Laura burst out of her building, her blond hair billowing out behind her as she rushed up to Sidra, throwing her arms around her in a huge hug.  “I’d been expecting you an hour ago.  What happened?” she asked, then turned to see the tall man standing next to her friend.  “Goodness!  And what have you brought for us today?” Laura asked, linking her arm with Sidra’s.

Rashid kept his face neutral, but the blue eyes of the blond woman were sizing him up and he knew it was time for an escape.  “I must be on my way.”  Turning to Laura, he said, “Sidra’s car is over on the Willow Bend Road.  I’ll arrange to have it towed and a replacement delivered immediately.”

Sidra shook her head.  “You don’t have to do that.  I’ll call the rental agency and have them exchange cars.”

“I insist,” Rashid countered and before his little woman could argue further, he climbed back into Zafir’s saddle and turned the horse around.  “Until next time,” he said to Sidra, then nudged his horse and they were off down the street at a fast pace.

Sidra watched him ride off, her eyes sad because she suspected she’d never see that man again.

Laura watched Sidra carefully, seeing the look in her eyes and her smile grew wider.  “I think you have some explaining to do,” she said and pulled Sidra into the building, understanding her friend’s reluctance but since they couldn’t see the horse and rider any longer, there was no reason to stand out in the open like this.

Sidra walked up the stairs of Laura’s building, wishing she’d had just a few more moments with Rashid.  Or maybe a few more hours.  Days perhaps?  Anything but the short time they’d spent together.  She glanced down at her watch and realized that they’d known each other less than twenty minutes and she felt sad that she’d never see the man again.

All that day, Sidra fought the jet lag that was pushing against her.  She and Laura took the train into London, all the while, dodging questions about how she’d met the man on the horse.  They dined that night with some of Laura’s colleagues, but by eight o’clock that night, Sidra couldn’t stay awake any longer.  When Laura finally brought her back to her flat, Sidra washed her face, brushed her teeth and fell into bed exhausted.

Chapter 2

Sidra looked around the thick area of trees, feeling the cold, damp grass below her feet and wondered what time the man usually woke up.  She knew that she wouldn’t see him this morning, but it was nice to fantasize about him and remember what it felt like to have his arms around her waist, his strong chest against her back.  She shivered at the memory of those crystal, blue eyes looking down at her, smiling at her.

She continued walking along the dirt path she and Laura had walked the previous day while they talked about her flight and catching up on what they hadn’t been able to say over e-mail or via phone.  The morning felt good and the cool air was nice on her face.  As she walked, her feet were silent with the spring growth padding her feet, letting the moist, morning air swirl around her, grateful for the lower number of bugs that were usually present in the evenings.  That didn’t mean the absence of tiny critters she thought as she avoided putting her hand on a damp leaf, a small spider perched precariously on the tip as it prepared to move across to the next branch while weaving its web for the day.  Moving around the web, she followed the stream, jumping over the rocks and eventually finding a large rock to perch upon.

The stone beneath her was cold but it felt good to have something solid beneath her.  It helped her feel something.  Helped her look around and notice things that she wouldn’t have seen two days ago.

Sidra thought back to the arguments she and Laura had laughed about over the past three months.  Laura had been adamant that Sidra was going to visit and Sidra had been just as firm that she didn’t have time.

“You don’t have time for anything!  You work twelve and fourteen hours a day and when you aren’t working, you just go out browsing the furniture and design stores so that you can do your work better!  You need a break.  You haven’t stopped since we graduated and you’re going to burn out if you don’t stop soon!”

Sidra had disagreed with Laura on all arguments.  She worked hard, but she felt energized when she was on a project.  “I’m not going to burn out, Laura.  I love my job and I’ve just been promoted.  There’s no way I can take the time to come visit now.  Things are really picking up.”

“Sidra, there’s so much more to life that designing someone else’s rooms,” Laura argued.  Sidra was an interior designer and had been hired right out of design school by one of the top designers in the industry for her area.  She loved her job, was very good at it and was just starting to be asked for specifically within the firm.  She’d designed so many bedrooms and living rooms and just recently, one had been featured in a magazine.  It was a small magazine, but she’d been so proud of the end result.  No matter how many times it happened, a designer always loved to have her work featured in any publication.

“Laura, I just can’t.  Not right now.”

Laura had kept on nagging until Sidra had finally given in.  She’d only taken a four day weekend, but sitting here in the middle of the woods, she realized that she really was missing a great deal of life.  She smiled as she remembered the previous morning when she’d arrived on Laura’s doorstep, Rashid helping her off of his horse, his hands firm around her waist and looking so incredibly handsome in a dangerous, mean, yet oh-so-gentle kind of way.  And those eyes!  They were the kinds of eyes a woman could fall into and never want to come out of.  They looked on her like she was some sort of delicious dessert and she wouldn’t mind, at least theoretically, if she were eaten up.  That man had sex appeal coming out of his eye brows!

She leaned back and looked at the lightening sky through the trees.  Her rental car had been delivered to Laura’s house about an hour after she’d been dropped off by Rashid.  She had no idea if he’d fixed it or if one of his friends had done so, but the alternator belt had been replaced and the radiator repaired.  She still hadn’t tried to drive it, but she felt a warm glow inside of her thinking that he’d taken so much time to help her out.  And it couldn’t have been easy, she thought.  Rashid’s horse was magnificent, but she didn’t think he had a lot of money.  The riding pants he’d been wearing had been covered in mud and his boots, at one point had probably been owned by a great man, but they were now beaten up and well worn.  The man was exceptionally built so she assumed he probably worked with horses a great deal.

Goodness, was she fantasizing about having an affair with a man who was poor?  Laura would get a real laugh out of that!

Sidra wasn’t a snob, but Laura teased her about all the men she was around, men who could take care of her and dress her in the most beautiful clothes if she would only flirt a little more openly, be friendlier and take those advances the men were offering.

Sidra wasn’t like that.  She didn’t want to win a husband, she wanted to win respect.  She’d lived too long in the shadow of her brother, a successful stock broker who had always teased her that she’d never make it in the world with her soft, creative heart.

Maybe he’d been right.  She loved her brother Ryan, but he was cold, calculating and at only two years older than she was, had made a great deal of money.  That wasn’t the path she wanted to take though.  She didn’t want to make a lot of money.  She wanted to make beauty.  She wanted the world to be a better place to live in and she knew she could use the creative gifts God had given her to make things nicer.

She wasn’t weak, she told herself, arguing against what her brother always said about her.  She was strong, but kind hearted.  Which was why she worked for a design firm who handled the business side of things instead of going out on her own.  They collected the money, while she enjoyed the creative side of the business.  Well that, and the fact that she didn’t have any clients!  Having clients is pretty essential to her dreams, she thought with a smile.   Ryan had to approve of that side of the issue at least.

She needed to call him.  She hadn’t talked to him in about a week and they usually caught up with each other more often than that.  He must be pretty busy because he rarely let a weekend go by without checking in with her.  He’d raised her after their parents died and it had been pretty tough for a while.  But he’d pulled them through that crisis at an age when he was much too young to be bearing the responsibility of a young sister to raise.  She’d never forget him for that.  She owed him a lot.

“You look exceptionally beautiful when you smile like that, Sidra,” a deep voice said as the man and horse walked quietly through the damp forest towards her.

Sidra quickly stood up, startled that the man she’d just been thinking about would suddenly materialize in front of her like that.  “What are you doing here?”

He took several steps closer, watching her the whole time and uncaring of any little creatures that might crawl along the leaves.  “Hoping you would come for a walk through these woods at the same time you drove into my life yesterday.”  He halted and smiled, “Or more specifically, didn’t drive into my life.”

She couldn’t believe he’d actually said those words.  Wasn’t he supposed to prevaricate and tell her that he’d only been coming on a morning walk like he usually did?  “Aren’t you supposed to pretend that this was an accidental meeting?”

His horse stepped over the stream and came closer, allowing him to look down at her with a raised eyebrow.  “Why would I do that?”

She looked around, shrugging her shoulders in confusion.  “Because you’re a guy and men need to pretend like they aren’t interested until a woman shows that they’re interested?”

He chuckled as he threw his long leg over his horse and dismounted.  “And are you interested?  In me?”  He walked up to her, leaving just a foot of space between their bodies as he looked down at her.

She thought about lying, or at a minimum, telling him that she thought he was handsome but not that she was interested.  But there was something about the way he was looking at her that forced the truth from her.  “Yes.  Very much so,” she finally said, looking down at her hands that were clenched on top of her knees from the nervousness he generated within her.  “You’re a very interesting man.”

He smiled and Sidra was glad she’d been honest.  “What do you know of me?”

She laughed, pretending that her blush wasn’t so obvious and looked up at him.  “I know that you have no mechanical knowledge at all when it comes to cars, but you’re very good at reading maps.”

“And is that all?” he asked, leaning forward slightly.

“And you’re very handsome.”

He quirked an eyebrow.  “No one has ever said I was handsome before.”

She tilted her head to the side, considering his features.  “You are.  Not in the pretty boy kind of way, but there’s a harshness to you that’s very attractive.  Very handsome.”

His eyes were intense, the blue coming out as icicles for some reason.  She shivered with that intensity, wishing she could run and hide all of a sudden.  “You’re a very kind person.”

She shook her head and raised an eyebrow back at him.  “Are you trying to tell me that the ladies don’t throw themselves at you continuously?  I won’t believe it at all.”

Rashid threw back his head and laughed, delighted with her honesty.  She was partly right.  Women did throw themselves at him, but he knew it was because of his title and his power or wealth.  He wasn’t a handsome man but he took advantage of anything they were offering.  He didn’t care that they were superficial women who wanted something from him.  He knew their game and played it well.  “Perhaps women find something in me that they want,” was all he would admit to at the moment.

She smiled and wondered why his laughter could make her heart skip a beat.  “I think you’re being modest, but that’s a very kind thing I suppose.”

Now she was telling him he was kind?  He could go for attractive perhaps, but no one would ever dare to call him kind.  “In what way?”

She shifted on the rock so that she could face him more fully.  She wished she could throw herself into his arms, but thought that would be just too forward.  “Most men, in my experience, are braggarts that rarely live up to their opinions of themselves.  You, on the other hand, probably have a great many talents hidden behind those pretty blue eyes,” she said and batted her own hazel ones up at him, “but are trying to convince me that women only pant after you for your physique.”

Rashid smiled and Sidra’s mind instantly conjured up a wolf about to eat her for dinner.  It was quite breathtaking and she stared back at him, hoping he would break this tension that was slowly building between the two of them.  “And what adjective would you use to describe my physique.”

She looked down and turned away, suddenly shy and knew that her face was once again suffused with painful color.  “Don’t be coy, Rashid.  You know that you’re amazingly well built.”  She stood up and walked a couple of steps away from the rock, trying to put some distance between them.  She was honestly afraid she might throw herself into his arms, just to feel him touching her like he had yesterday.

Rashid was looking at her very delightful derriere when she said that but her words made his eyes move upwards and he caught her eye.  “I’m not sure that ‘well built’ is a good thing.”

“Are you fishing for compliments?” she asked, laughing at his aggressive expression.  She knew she should probably be wary.  She was alone in the woods with a man she barely knew who was possibly ten times stronger than she was.  But this man didn’t scare her like some of her previous dates.  Ryan would be furious if he knew she was here though.

“What are you thinking right now?” Rashid asked out of the blue.

Sidra blinked at the quick change in subjects and looked up at him.  “I was thinking that Ryan wouldn’t like me being here alone with you.”

Rashid couldn’t believe the fury another man’s name created within him.  “Who the hell is Ryan?  And why should he care if you’re alone with me?”

Sidra instantly felt bad for her lack of an explanation.  She turned to face him fully, not wanting to play the normal games men and women played upon an initial meeting.  He hadn’t done that with her and she would give him the courtesy of not doing that with him.  “I’m sorry, that came out sounding awful and I didn’t mean to even try to make you jealous.  Ryan is my older brother and he’s very protective of me.  Sometimes I don’t even tell him when I start dating a guy because Ryan will have a background check done on the man and it’s a bit intimidating.  I don’t like knowing all the bad things a guy has done before I even know what his favorite food is.”

Instantly Rashid felt better, both in hearing that she’s not dating another man as well as the fact that she had an older brother to watch out for her.  “As well he should. I have two younger sisters as well and I doubt that I would allow them to be in the forest with a strange man under any circumstances.  You should respect your brother’s wishes.”

She didn’t like those words.  Was he telling her that he didn’t think she should be here?  She wasn’t afraid of him so much as afraid of what she wanted to do with him, a completely different issue.  Possibly still a good reason to leave the area and find a place where she was able to maintain her sanity, but she didn’t want to leave him.  “Are you telling me that I should leave here immediately?”

Rashid stepped forward, seeing the hurt look in her eyes.  An honorable man would tell her that she should leave and walk away as fast as possible.  His intentions were not honorable.  He wanted this woman with a driving intensity that seemed to be increasing the more he spoke with her.  And yet, there was an odd, protective side to his feelings as well.  Something he’d never felt before with someone outside of his family.

This woman with her soft, pretty hazel eyes was a mystery he wanted to unravel.  Both with her kind, soft-hearted smile as well as her lush figure, he didn’t understand why he wanted to pull her down into the damp grass and make love to her, and at the same time, tell her to run as far away from him as possible.  He was a dangerous man and being associated with him was hazardous in ways she couldn’t even begin to understand.

She’d been so honest with him, he couldn’t be any less to her, even if it wasn’t what he wanted.  “You would probably be better off if you did so.”

Sidra heard the words, but there was something in his eyes that struck her.  It was an odd vulnerability that she wouldn’t have thought possible in a man so strong and confident.  “Are you really that dangerous?” she asked and stepped closer to him.

He saw how close she was and wanted to pull her against him, to bury his hands in her gorgeous, dark hair and kiss those soft lips.  He wanted to hear his name on those lips as he pressed slowly into her heat and when she climaxed in his arms.  “You don’t know me.  How can you know if I’m telling the truth if I deny it?”

She laughed despite her racing heartbeat and wobbly knees.  “If my friend Laura heard that kind of a statement, she would be telling me to get away from you.  She watches all those criminal investigations television shows and would immediately think that you’re some sort of serial killer.”

Rashid laughed again, delighted with her sense of humor.  “I guarantee that I’m not a serial killer.”

She smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling.  “Would a serial killer really admit that he was if he had his latest victim alone in the woods?” She was teasing him, but she sincerely felt safe with him.  Well, safe from physical harm.  Not safe from being kissed.  Which she wished he would do.

“Probably not,” he replied, all laughter gone.  “I’m going to kiss you though.”

Sidra thought her heart might stop in her chest with those words.  And then began pounding so hard she thought it might just burst out of her body.  Her fingers were shaking and her body was both clamoring for his touch and at the same time, telling her to run away.

Instead, she took a step forward and placed her hand on his chest.  “I think I’d like that very much.”

He covered her hand, noting the shivering under his palm and he saw the pulse at the base of her throat increase visibly.  “Why don’t you let me know when you’re sure,” he said and stepped forward, not touching her except where her hand was touching his chest.  He wanted to pull her into his arm and ravage those full, red lips but something held him back.  Take it slow, he told himself.  This woman was not like the others who normally pursued him.  She was too delicate, too soft-hearted.  She didn’t know how to play the game, which was evidenced by the honesty she put forth each time she spoke.

She bit her lip and looked down, taking in the strong, tanned hand covering her pale one on his chest.  She felt his heart and noticed that it was strong and sure, unlike hers that was racing in a way that made her almost gasp for breath.  As she looked up at him, she felt his heartbeat increase and that gave her the confidence she needed to say, “I’m pretty sure.”

He smiled and moved his hands to her waist, feeling the softness and noting how slender she really was.  “Getting better.  But you’re not completely sure, are you.”

She took a deep breath and raised her face up to his.  “Yes.  I’m very sure.  But I thank you for giving me the time to back out of it and run screaming out of the woods.”

Rashid stood there for a stunned moment, absorbing her words.  Again, he laughed softly at her quip but didn’t hesitate any longer.  He couldn’t.  Kissing her had now become an imperative, an absolute that couldn’t wait.

Click here to download the entire book: Elizabeth Lennox’s The Sheik’s Pregnant Lover>>>