He laughed. “Because we told them.”
The project manager rushed up to him at that point, distracting him so Arianna didn’t have time to react.
“It is wonderful to see you, Your Highness!” the man gushed, sweating profusely even as the guards stopped him from approaching. They maintained a very firm perimeter around himself and Arianna. The strategy had been discussed last night when he told his guards that he would be returning to the site today. They’d worked up a solid plan to keep Arianna safe from further attacks.
“I’m pleased to be seen,” Rhys replied easily.
“Did you have additional questions for me or my engineer?” The manager asked.
Rhys noticed that the man was literally wringing his canvas hat in his hands, twisting the cotton material around and around.
Looking into the man’s beady eyes, he shook his head. “No. No more questions for either of you. I’m here today to look around, talk with the workers, and basically, just be seen after last week’s attack. Any concerns with my plan?” he asked.
He felt Arianna move closer to him, almost as if she were trying to soothe his temper somehow. Rhys would have laughed, maybe even put his arm around her shoulders to reassure her. But he maintained eye contact with the man, conveying his displeasure in the most basic way.
His guards were still interrogating the men who had been captured last week, getting more information out of them. Gone was the possibility that the attack had been politically motivated. All of the attackers were pointing fingers at this man, but none could offer proof of who paid them. Until that was established, Rhys was standing by, waiting for his guards to get more information. There were a few too many inconsistencies to accuse this man just yet. And this man didn’t seem like the type to orchestrate the complex assault. There was no doubt in Rhys’ mind that the project manager was involved, but he definitely wasn’t the one in charge.
They would figure this out, he vowed. This man would pay for the danger in which he’d put Arianna. He would pay dearly!
“Yes, Your Highness,” the man replied and bowed, stepping backwards awkwardly. Rhys watched without concern as the man moved precariously close to the edge of the walkway. They were on the staging platform where the site offices were located, but the sand dunes dropped downward, the slope of the earth curving from the wind and gravity where the rigs had been set up. There should be railings along the edge of this platform, protecting the employees from exactly what was about to happen. In fact, Rhys had seen several safety violations last week.
Rhys watched the man, calculating the exact moment that the stupid manager would fall because of the hazardous work site. He even felt Arianna’s fingers slowly tighten as she waited as well. Thankfully, she didn’t say a word, just watched and waited. Seconds later, the man tripped over a valve that hadn’t been properly stored in either the recycling bin if it was broken or a storage unit if it was waiting to be used on the rig. The man tumbled off the platform into the dirt and sand, falling backwards down the slope.
Rhys heard several of the workers laugh, but none of his guards would dare to break discipline by showing their amusement over the incident.
The man quickly recovered, brushing off his filthy slacks and glaring at his workers, all of whom turned to get back to work. Rhys watched as the man’s face turned an even brighter shade of red as he bowed again and backed up, this time turning around to walk away instead of stepping backwards and possibly humiliating himself further.
“Get back to work!” he yelled at the men, most of whom were already diligently working their tasks.
Rhys wanted to snap at the man that he was the only person not getting his job done, but he kept silent, knowing that patience was the best option until he had all of the facts.
For the rest of the afternoon, he walked around the site and sent the manager and engineer back to their offices while he spoke to the various workers.
“What do you think of the rig operations?” he asked of the first man.
The worker bowed deeply, then stood and replied, “This is an effective, productive operation.” He couldn’t look Rhys in the eye.
Rhys glanced down at Arianna and noted by her slight frown that she’d perceived the same thing.
“Very good,” he said to the worker. “Carry on and thank you for your diligence.”
The man looked up, startled, but Rhys only nodded to him. The man bowed again and turned back to his project, using what looked like a giant wrench to twist a valve that seemed to be leaking.
Together, they spoke to almost every worker on the site and every single one of them said the exact same words. Curiouser and curiouser, Rhys thought.
Arianna walked with Rhys all day, listening and observing. But what was more disconcerting was how he would look at her after every conversation, almost as if he were trying to silently communicate with her. The look he was giving her said that something was very wrong and Arianna had to agree, but she followed his lead.
Every single man on the work site said basically the same exact words. In fact, a few of the workers struggled to pronounce the words properly! Obviously, the workers had been coached to say that if asked.
Why wasn’t he saying something? Why didn’t he challenge the workers? At least ask them questions, force them to define exactly why each worker thought the work site was efficient, productive, and effective!
But he remained silent. They spoke to every worker on the site, or at least, they spoke to every worker that they could find. Which is to say that it was entirely possible that some of the workers were not visible. Had some of the more outspoken employees been hidden away? It would be easy to tell them to just take the day off in anticipation of a royal visit so Rhys couldn’t question them.
“A very effective and…” the man with oil and desert dust smeared over his face stammered and looked away, obviously trying to remember the rest of his speech. “Right!” he snapped, inhaling sharply as he straightened his spine. “And productive operation,” he finally got out. Then the man smiled, revealing a few missing teeth, but seemed neither unashamed nor even aware of the dental issues.
Rhys reached out and took the man’s hand, shaking it firmly, unconcerned about the dirt and grease. “Thank you for your time,” he said and the man beamed, almost appearing as if he might faint from the honor of shaking his leader’s hand.
“It’s an honor, Your Highness,” the man muttered, and glanced to his right. Immediately, the man pulled his hand away and turned back to work on adjusting a lever. He looked over his shoulder at Rhys, then back to the right.
Arianna started to glance to the right but Rhys squeezed her elbow in warning. “Right,” she whispered. “Sorry.”
“I understand completely, sir,” Rhys told the man, placing a gentle hand on the man’s stooped shoulders. The man turned his dirt-stained face back to Rhys and smiled, nodding as if they’d shared a secret. “I get it.”
With that, Rhys moved on and Arianna’s respect for Rhys and his leadership capabilities increased tenfold. She’d watched as Rhys told the man, without words, that the issue was understood. The message every single person working around this rig was trying to convey had been absorbed.
She smothered a smile, pushing her sunglasses higher on her nose. If Rhys was going to be secretive, then he obviously had a reason. Arianna wasn’t going to put him in danger today!
The silent messages sent back and forth were loud and clear. Something was truly wrong. And Rhys had gotten the workers to band together, understanding and concern written all over his features. Well, she saw the concern. Arianna seriously hoped that the engineer and project manager didn’t see what he was hiding.
Rhys could have just walked away, accepted the data given to him by the engineers because profits were higher. But he’d sensed a bigger, more menacing issue and looked into it. The man had the weight of his country, sometimes the world, on his shoulders. And yet, he was here, looking into what was probably a minor pr
oblem in the larger world order.
He was here. He cared! She was so amazed and in awe, she could barely breathe for a moment. No man she’d ever met had gone out of his way like this. And for who? Men who worked on an oilrig. Rhys understood. He grasped that every human life mattered. Yes, there was a bigger picture here. But he could have assigned someone to investigate.
Mentally shaking her head, she stared straight ahead, trying to follow his lead. She knew with absolute certainty that he would discuss the issue once they were away from here, away from where his concerns would jeopardize the safety of the workers.
Amazing!
She looked up at him, thinking he was more than just a tall, handsome man with muscles. He was truly a leader, a leader for everyone, not just the important people who could manipulate the politics. He cared for even the average worker.
So, by the time they stepped into the cool air of the SUV, she was shaking with her awareness of him as a man. As a good, amazing, incredible man. Arianna only waited until the door was closed before she jumped into his arms.
And that was the end for her. She felt his strong arms close around her as he lifted her onto his lap and kissed her. Thoroughly! His hands dove into her hair, pulling the hair band out so that his fingers could tangle in the now messy ponytail and pull her head backwards, giving him additional access to her mouth so that his tongue could slide inside. When she felt his tongue, Arianna melted against him, her own mating with his in a silent rhythm that captured every cell of her focus. Gone was the incredible heat of the desert sun, the frustration over hours of talking with people who gave the exact same answer.
Melting against him, she shifted, needing to feel more of him. She’d felt his touch all day long, felt the way her body clamored for more. Now she had more and…it wasn’t enough. Shifting, she kissed him back, giving him all of her pent-up frustration, her longing, and her need for his touch.
But after several minutes of this, she pulled away, her breathing heavy. Staring at him, she couldn’t stop the trembling, the intense awareness of this man.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, unaware of how her fingers still fisted against his tee shirt.
“Arianna, I’ve wanted to do that ever since we left your suite this morning,” he growled. His hands slid underneath her tee shirt that had somehow come untucked from the waistband of her jeans. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how that had happened, but she still shivered when she felt his strong hand stroke the skin along her spine. “I refrained, trying to focus on the more pertinent issue. But you kept silent all day, hearing the same thing I heard and fully understood, didn’t you?
Huh? He wasn’t making sense! Or maybe that kiss had simply sizzled all of her brain cells. “Yes, but…”
He sighed, his hands moving up and down her back and waist. “You’re right. Something is very wrong. There’s no way that all of those men could say the exact same thing to me without being coached.” He lowered his head, teasing the skin along her neck, just like he’d done this morning, but this time, it felt a bit more…intentional somehow. “The trick is to figure out who coached them and catch everyone off-guard.”
She groaned, trying to capture his hands so that she could question him further. Grabbing his wrists, she pulled them away from her back. “So, what’s the plan? What are you going to…?” She knew that he was allowing her to control his hands. He could overpower her resistance easily but he gave her that power. For the moment, at least.
He laughed softly, giving her barely a moment’s warning before his hands snuck up under the front of her tee shirt. “My current plan is to get you back to the palace. A shower to wash off the dust and,” he leaned forward, his thumbs finding her nipple at the same time that his teeth found that spot on her neck. “Make love to you tonight.”
Arianna heard the words but they barely made sense. Not with his hands and his mouth doing that to her body. “Oh dear heaven!” she gasped, completely in agreement with his plans. If he hadn’t been touching her like this, or maybe if he hadn’t been touching her all day long, she might have been able to resist him. His hands, the way he was kissing her, felt amazing and she couldn’t hold back.
And then he stopped!
Arianna opened her eyes, looking into his heated gaze. “Why did you stop?” she gasped, her body unable to still as she tried to come down from his touch.
His husky laugh made her want to punch him, especially since it was so similar to the last time several months ago after he’d kissed her. “Because we’re about to have company.”
She pulled back and listened, looking around. Sure enough, a helicopter sounded overhead and a fraction of a second later, the front doors to the SUV opened up and his bodyguards stepped in.
Arianna jerked away from him, almost flying off of his lap even as her face heated up. “You could have warned me a bit sooner,” she grumbled and moved over to the other side of the backseat, as far away from him as she could get as she tried to get her cheeks to cool off, not wanting the guards to know what was going on inside the SUV while they were outside in the heat.
“Why would I do that?” he teased, then tucked his fingers into the waistband of her jeans, pulling her right back against his side.
She opened her mouth to give him a blistering reply, but at that exact moment, one of his hands moved underneath her hair, his fingers lightly brushing against the skin of her neck and…all thoughts, all arguments and any blistering comment she might have come up with disappeared from her mind. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak as his fingers brushed back and forth against her neck.
His fingers continued to tease and torment her during the entire ride back to the palace. When he finally pulled his hand away, it was only so that he could exit the SUV, but then he extended his hand for her and she glared at it, then up at him.
“You’re cheating again,” she accused softly. But did she really mind?
He moved closer so that his broad shoulders were blocking the view from anyone who might be on the portico or looking out from the windows of the palace. “I’m not cheating, Arianna. I want to touch you,” he told her, blatant heat in his eyes. “And as soon as you step out of this vehicle, I’m going to take you to my room and make love to you. Any arguments?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no words would form. He wasn’t beating around the bush today. There was no seduction, no changes in his plan. He’d said what he was going to do and she was one hundred percent on board with those plans.
After today, the way he’d touched her and the constant electrifying feel of him all day long, she knew that resisting him was wrong. What he made her feel, it was right. It was thrilling.
She didn’t even think about the humiliation she’d felt months ago after he kissed her. That was all gone now as she looked into his eyes. She saw the desire. It was just as intense as her own, so no fear that she might make a fool of herself.
Making love with him would be bad in the long term. She was going to be hurt when she left Triar. She knew that making love with someone was more than a casual thing to her. Making love was a commitment, but Rhys wasn’t offering her a commitment. He wasn’t offering her anything other than a night in his arms.
An incredible night, she corrected.
So, was she going to take the coward’s way out and turn down his offer? She’d flown thousands of miles to find her father and that had taken a great deal of courage. Facing this man to ask him for help had taken even more courage.
Arianna looked up into his dark eyes. No, she wasn’t going to lose her courage now, she thought. Rhys wasn’t the man she’d thought he was. He was wonderful, intelligent, compassionate and…as he sat there waiting, his hand extended, she realized that he was patient. If she said no, they would walk into the palace, have a delicious meal together, and he would kiss her goodnight.
“No. No arguments,” she finally answered. He was right. She wanted him. They had been leading up to this
from the moment he’d pulled her into his arms that first day. Now it was time to find out what they’d been teasing around all this time.
The SUV came to a stop in the underground parking garage and she stared at Rhys for a long moment.
As soon as they stopped, he stepped out and she put her trembling hand into his. With careful precision, Arianna stepped out of the vehicle. If she’d been more aware of the others, she might have been embarrassed. The way they were looking at each other, even an idiot would know what was in their immediate future. But she wasn’t aware of anyone other than Rhys as he led her through the halls of the palace.
This time, he didn’t stop at the doorway to her suite, but continued on. He didn’t even stop when he approached an elaborately decorated set of double doors. The guards standing outside of that room practically screamed the confirmation that this was his suite. His bedroom. His bed.
She vaguely heard the doors close behind them, but her whole focus was on Rhys, on the way he held her hand. His own fingers were firm as he led her deeper into the suite, but he wasn’t pulling. Not this time. Nope, she was going willingly, even though her heart was pounding so hard, she felt a bit faint. Or maybe that was just because she knew what was about to happen and she was excited, thrilled that this was finally happening.
“I’ve dreamed of you making love to me for so many nights,” she admitted, startled by her words.
“Care to tell me what I did to you during those dreams?” he asked as he closed the door to his bedroom.
She stared at the enormous bed, wondering if it had been specially made. But then she realized where her mind was going and that it made no difference if the bed was custom or off the shelf. Or showroom. Or warehouse. Good grief, where did a sheik buy a bed?
“Um…well…” He turned her so that she was facing him. Arianna stared at his chest. “Well, you were naked.”
He laughed softly, bending to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes as his lips tickled her skin, sending shivers racing throughout her body. “Yeah, you did that too,” she whispered.
One Night With the Sheik (Friends Forever Book 4) Page 14
