One Night With the Sheik (Friends Forever Book 4)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  She continued to stare at him, not sure what was going on. “Okay, so if you’re aware of my nakedness, perhaps you could just…get out?” she snapped, then realized that her tone wasn’t nearly as respectful as she’d just admonished herself to aim for.

  The deep, rumbling laughter caused her stomach muscles to tighten and her toes to curl. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling right at the moment, but she was fairly certain that it wasn’t conducive to retaining his assistance.

  Be nice, she thought.

  Unfortunately, that’s when he bent lower. Bracing a fist on either side of her hips, she cringed backwards. There wasn’t a lot of space left to go. For an extremely large bed, he’d easily trapped her in the middle with no place to maneuver.

  “I think I like you naked,” he told her, his eyes moving from her golden gaze to her lips, then lower. Her fists tightened on the sheet, but he only lifted his eyes once again. “But I think you need food more than I need to…” he stopped, not finishing that sentence.

  Standing up, he turned away. “One of my guards will bring you to the breakfast room,” he announced and then he was gone.

  Arianna released the breath she’d been holding, not sure what had just happened. Had he been…flirting with her? No! Impossible!

  If that was his way of flirting…she was in trouble!

  Throwing off the sheets, she hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower, not sure how much time he would give her before he came back in looking for her. The man probably wasn’t used to waiting on people. Wasn’t impatience a characteristic of the rich and powerful?

  She stepped under the water and hurriedly lathered her hair and body, not bothering to try and figure out what the rich and powerful were really like. It wasn’t as if she had a lot of knowledge to base her assumptions on. She knew Hayden and Natalie, both of whom had married extremely wealthy men. But she suspected that Javier, Natalie’s husband, as well as Viktor, Hayden’s man, were completely different from the other wealthy men in the world. Not to mention, Sheik Rhys was…well, he was a sheik! He was super powerful and super…everything!

  She shut off the shower and grabbed a fluffy towel, wrapping it around herself after drying off. She didn’t have any clothes since her suitcase was still back at the hotel. So, she’d washed her underwear last night. Pulling it on, she donned her blue dress again, not having any other option until she had a chance to grab something else back at the hotel she’d checked into when she’d first arrived in Triar.

  Stepping through the door, she looked around the hallway and came face to face with two armed and not very happy guards. Swallowing, she looked up at the two beefy men, neither of whom looked like they wanted to escort her anywhere other than to prison.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Both men simply stared at her, not trusting her even a little and she didn’t blame them.

  So she cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m supposed to meet His Highness,” she wasn’t exactly sure if that was the right way to address the man, but she figured it was probably closest to the correct protocol, “in the breakfast room. If you could just point me in the right direction, I’ll…”

  The bulkier man pointed, not speaking a word. Arianna supposed that he meant for her to head in that direction. So she walked, one man in front of her and another behind. She suspected that this was what being walked to an execution might feel like, but she wasn’t going to complain. She was showered and well rested. Things could definitely be a whole lot worse.

  Stepping into the beautifully decorated breakfast area, she was astonished by the open air space, thrilled to feel the morning sunshine on her shoulders. Rhys stood up as she approached, pulling the opposite chair out even as he dismissed the aide who had been discussing something with him when she’d walked in.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked as he resumed his chair.

  She pulled the linen napkin down onto her lap, feeling strange all of a sudden. “Yes. It was very…restful.” Arianna was confused. He was being kind and his voice brought back all of those strange, tantalizing sensations that had woken her up this morning.

  Nothing about this man, or her reaction to him, made sense – other than the way she continued to amuse him, which only angered her further. Everything she’d assumed about the man seemed wrong. After their last interlude months ago, she’d made him into a monster. Now he was…nice? Concerned? Shockingly sexy? Okay – that hadn’t changed. She’d thought him sexy from the first moment she’d looked at him.

  She realized where her mind was heading and mentally jerked backwards. No! The image of his laughing eyes, the sound of his laughter after their last kiss, filled her mind and she reeled back. She couldn’t be influenced by a thoughtful word or gesture.

  At least, she was trying not to be influenced.

  “It was very kind of you to allow me to stay in the palace last night, but I’ll head back to my hotel tonight.”

  He shook his head. “I guarantee that your stay here last night had absolutely nothing to do with kindness, Arianna.”

  Trying to keep her face impassive, she glanced up at him. “What was it then?”

  He reached out, touching her fingers gently. “I’m a selfish man. You are a beautiful woman who is going through a distressing period.”

  Slowly, not wanting to offend him but not liking the shivers of awareness that hit her with his touch, she curled her fingers into a fist, effectively eliminating that disturbing touch. “I resent your classification of my father’s disappearance as simply ‘a distressing period’ in my life, Your Highness.”

  He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging her words. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t exactly what I meant.”

  Clenching her teeth and trying very hard not to fall for his charm, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you mean, then?”

  “I meant that you’re stressed over finding your father and hoping that he’s okay. I understand and am ready to help you. I was close to my father as well, and understand the relationship.”

  She’d done a great deal of research on this man before she’d come here, trying to figure out the best way to deal with him after that last kiss. She remembered the pictures after the previous king’s death, how grim and determined Rhys looked.

  Once again, her heart started to soften and she had to mentally pull back. “Yes. Your father died about five years ago, right?”

  “Yes. So I understand your concern with your father’s disappearance. We’re going to find him, Arianna. One way or another, we’ll discover what happened to him.”

  An aide approached and Rhys leaned back, lowering his head slightly as the aide whispered something in his ear. She heard the words even though she was trying not to listen. The man was telling Rhys about a contract, something about terms that weren’t accepted, and the changes that were offered. Rhys then directed the man on how to move forward, citing very specific details. He also mentioned something about a school that had updates, and a hospital that was under construction, asking for a report on progress.

  It suddenly occurred to her that Rhys probably hadn’t been given any time to grieve after his father had passed away. Hearing him provide directions on those three issues, how many other problems had he had to handle on the day of his father’s passing? How many problems did Rhys have to resolve every single day? The issues facing a ruler didn’t stop simply because a loved one passed away. He probably hadn’t been given any time to process his father’s passing before he had to shoulder all of the responsibilities of the kingdom! And it wasn’t as if Rhys had been given any forewarning of his father’s passing. The assassin who had shot the previous king hadn’t sent Rhys a letter telling him to be ready to take over.

  Now here she was, furious because her father had disappeared and asking him for help. She was just one more person asking for his time, his attention. The realization wasn’t palatable.

  And yet, he’d still offered her his help.

&n
bsp; Why?

  He turned back to her and she tilted her head questioningly. “Why am I here?”

  “Because I…”

  She gently lifted her hand to stop him. That softening of her heart and her attitude towards this man was happening regardless of her efforts to remain aloof. “All I asked for was your assistance, hoping that you could make a phone call that might smooth the way when I asked questions. Or even a call to the police, telling them to help me investigate. And yet, I suspect that you are planning to do more. Already, you said that your security team was looking into the issue.” She sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. “I’m just one more burden to your time, aren’t I?”

  His deep chuckle soothed her anxiety. “You are not a burden, Arianna,” he assured with absolute conviction.

  Rhys looked across the table at the lovely woman, continuously entranced by her eyes. Yes, she was beautiful, her strawberry blonde hair and creamy skin were lovely, but there was just something about her eyes. The fear for her father was there, definitely. But also a spirited determination.

  Beyond the need to find out what had happened to Arianna’s father, Rhys wanted to understand her. She was physically beautiful, but he wanted to know who she was inside. Every moment of his life, he was surrounded by people who wanted something from him; favors, money, and privileges. And yet, this gentle beauty hadn’t asked for anything other than a phone call. That was something any of his aides could have done and spent maybe thirty seconds accomplishing. But Rhys wanted to take care of the investigation personally.

  The idea of her walking around the country, asking anyone and everyone about her father, possibly uncovering something more sinister than she was expecting, caused him to shudder with horror.

  No, this woman was too honest, too vibrant and lovely to be going around asking questions of people who had most likely hurt, maybe even killed, her father. She was putting herself in danger and he couldn’t allow that. Besides, if anything had happened to her father, Rhys wanted to be there for her.

  Looking into her soft, golden eyes, he knew that there was so much more to Arianna Callas. And he was going to discover all of her.

  “I’m perfectly capable of asking questions on my own,” she insisted firmly.

  He saw the spark of challenge glow in her eyes, an intriguing light that he found endlessly fascinating. “Yes, but cowards kill, Arianna. I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger. Especially when I suspect that there is something bigger going on. Something more than just your father going missing.”

  She blinked and he couldn’t seem to look away. “You think this is a bigger conspiracy,” she repeated, sounding alarmed.

  This time, he couldn’t hold back the chuckle. “Yes. I think there’s something bigger than just a man being kidnapped. And I’m impressed that you have the integrity and determination to find out what. But I’m going to help you.”

  He watched her blink, trying to understand what he was saying. “That’s what I am doing. I’m going to figure out what’s going on and who has taken my father.”

  He squeezed her hand, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. “I admire a fighter.”

  “Even if the battle is directed towards you or the people in your organization?”

  “I admire anyone who is willing to fight for what is right.” He nodded to the waiter who immediately moved forward to place the food on the table. “You are a fighter, Arianna. A lovely, passionate fighter.”

  “Do you treat all of your ex-girlfriends in such a manner?”

  He sighed and looked directly at her. “Okay, let’s get this out of the way.” He leaned closer, not allowing her to look away from him. “First of all, you aren’t an ex-girlfriend. Something happened the last time you were here in Triar and I’m going to discover what.” She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he held up a hand, silencing her contradiction. “Secondly, you aren’t going out there alone. From past experience, I know that you are too honest of a person and the people we’ll be talking to would try to take advantage of that. And no, I don’t completely know you. Yet. But I have a feeling about you and I’m rarely wrong about people.” His eyes hardened and she tensed for his next words. “And once this is all over, we’re going to talk. We’re going to discuss what happened during that last kiss and why you ran away from me.”

  She focused on the first part, ignoring the last statement. “I don’t need your presence. You’ll be in danger if you leave the palace. I might not know a lot about royal security, or whatever, but I know that much.”

  Rhys watched as her eyes softened with concern. But he could also see that she wasn’t relenting. The adorable woman wouldn’t be satisfied until he remained safe and sound behind palace doors. What she didn’t understand was that he wasn’t letting her out of his sight this time around.

  He conceded her point with a nod. “All accurate assumptions. But my security detail is trained for situations like this. I am escorting you around to help you with your investigation.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “So, I’m special?”

  “Oh yes,” he breathed very softly. “You are very special, Arianna Callas.”

  Her stomach tightened with his words and she wasn’t sure how to respond. In this case, she suspected that it would be better to just keep her mouth shut.

  That didn’t stop her eyes from moving to his mouth. It hit her once again that his mouth was incredibly sexy. Erotic-looking, even! So close. So painfully, close.

  She jerked backwards, her thoughts startling her.

  She took a deep breath, startled by what she’d been thinking. “How long am I to remain here at the palace?”

  He leaned back as well, smothering his amusement at her avoidance of what was happening between them. “Until we figure out the mystery,” he replied, and possibly longer, he silently added.

  Arianna assumed that the mystery he referred to was her father’s disappearance, but there was something about the way he said those words that made her suspect there was more.

  Nothing made sense any longer. Yesterday, she knew what she had to do. The world was black and white. Now she wasn’t so sure. Now…maybe there was a bit more grey to what she’d previously believed.

  “Tell me more about yourself,” he commanded even as he piled her plate high with eggs, bacon, sausage, and muffins.

  Arianna looked at the enormous pile of food. “Um...well, I never eat this much for breakfast.”

  He dismissed her comment and added more food to her plate. “You will now. You are too thin.”

  She covered her mouth with her hand, smothering a chuckle. “Yes, sir.”

  “Eat!” he ordered as he set the plate down in front of her and poured her coffee. “Do you take cream or sugar?”

  She shook her head. “No, black is fine,” she told him, feeling strangely formal at the moment. Strange because this man had basically seen her naked less than a half hour ago. And formal because…well, he was royalty and she…wasn’t.

  “You’re being awfully nice this morning,” she commented, picking up her fork and taking a small bite of the eggs. They were delicious and filled with some sort of cheese and herbs. “Oh my! These are amazing!”

  “Good. You’ll eat all of that,” he announced. “So, you were going to tell me about yourself.”

  She took another bite of the eggs while trying to fight another chuckle. “You probably know more about me than I do myself. Why don’t you tell me what you know and I’ll try to fill in the blanks?”

  He leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee. “Okay, you work as a business manager for a garden center. You took over the job about a year ago and you’ve made it into a surprisingly successful enterprise, considering that the place was going bankrupt until you stepped in to save the business.”

  Arianna was quick to dismiss her contributions. “No, Hayden did that herself. She’s my boss and she knows plants better than anyone I know.”

  “She creates the plant
s to sell but you’re the mover, the one who energized the business.”

  Arianna shook her head once again. “No, I’m sorry but I can’t take credit for that either. The real genius behind the business is Hayden’s husband, Viktor Chenko. He knows more about business than I could ever learn. He’s amazing.”

  Rhys nodded. “Yes, my country has done business with Mr. Chenko in the past. He is an incredibly intelligent businessman. Good ideas.”

  Arianna was startled with that news but rallied quickly, hiding her surprise. If Viktor was doing business with the Triar government…was she wrong? Viktor was ethical and wonderful. He’d fallen in love with Hayden the very first time they’d met and, when her friend had been in serious financial trouble, Viktor had stepped in to help her.

  “Viktor is a sweet, compassionate hero,” she stated firmly. “What?” she asked when she saw the incredulous expression in Rhys’ eyes. “He’s very kind,” she repeated firmly, thinking of all the ways he’d even helped her.

  Rhys shook his head and sipped his coffee. “Viktor Chenko is not kind, my dear.”

  She shifted in her seat. “Don’t be patronizing,” she snapped, not seeing the smile that lit up his eyes at her brazen admonition because she was looking down at her plate once again, trying to hide another blush. “He’s a good man and has treated my friend very well. They’re expecting a baby soon.”

  “I will send him my condolences.”

  That brought her eyes up to his, angry now. “Condolences? For expecting a baby? Why would you say something like that?”

  He laughed. “I don’t really believe that. A child is truly a gift and a blessing. I just wanted to see your eyes again.” He winked at her before adding, “And I like the fire in those pretty eyes too.”

  She sighed and put her fork down, not hungry any longer. “I’m so glad that I amuse you. I’m sure that I’m very predictable, aren’t I?”

  He laughed outright at that. “Predictable?” He shook his head as if the idea was ludicrous. “You are possibly the least predictable of any woman I’ve ever known, Arianna. And I find that fascinating.”