The Sheik's Angry Bride (5 page)

Layla stood in Garon’s office, pacing back and forth.  The scene was similar to yesterday’s when she’d been waiting for him after his summons.  But today was different in that she’d requested a meeting with him. 

His aide had immediately agreed to the meeting but cautioned her that “His Highness” was trying to complete business before the wedding.  He ushered her into Garon’s office, letting her know that he would inform “His Highness” that she was waiting for him, wishing to speak with him about an urgent matter.

Layla wasn’t sure it was urgent, but she was glad that the other man thought so.  And the time it took to retrieve her fiancé gave her a bit more time to compose her thoughts.  She was furious with him over their encounters yesterday, all of them ending with last night’s gala.  The way he’d touched her, caressed her, fed her foods and created an atmosphere in which he tried to portray that theirs was a love story…well, it infuriated her! 

She couldn’t believe how she’d stood in his arms, actually enjoying the way he felt with his strength surrounding her, his hands touching her so gently. 

She rubbed her forehead, trying to regain her perspective.  This was wrong!  Everything was wrong!  Her pacing continued, becoming more impatient as the minutes passed. 

“Good morning, my beauty,” Garon said several minutes later as he stepped into his office and closed the door.

“Open it back up!” she whispered angrily, her whole body shaking with that strange, foreign emotion that had only grown stronger now that he was in the room.

The door clicked shut with a snick and he leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her hands form fists at her sides.  “I gather you are upset about something?” he observed. 

“Yes!  Why are you acting like this?” she demanded.

His dark eyebrows went up in surprise.  “Like a man about to be married?” he offered.

“No!” she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.  “I mean, yes!  But...” she almost growled with frustration.  “You know what I’m talking about.”

He pushed away from the door and moved closer to her.  “I’m not sure I do understand.  Why don’t you enlighten me?” Every interlude with this woman added to the complexity of who she was.  Yesterday, she’d shown him that she was more than just a pretty face.  She could shoot, charm the crowds as well as himself and still look stunning doing all of it with confidence and a gracious manner that made his people fall in love with her.  Then last night, she’d stood in his arms, almost caressing him with her breath and shown how vulnerable she really was.  And how soft. 

Now she was practically spitting flames of anger.  The changes in her were fascinating and he couldn’t wait to see what she was like in bed.  Was she all soft and cuddly?  Or would she light the sheets of fire with her passion? 

Layla recognized the way he was looking at her and stepped back, putting one of the large chairs between them.  She wanted it both to hold herself up as well as to fight the need to rush over to him and punch her fists against his hard chest.  “You know what’s happening and you have to stop it!  This isn’t right!  You’re acting…”

“As if I enjoy my fiancée’s company?” he filled in when she seemed to stumble over the words.

“Yes!  You have to stop that!”

He suppressed the urge to laugh.  “Why is that?”

Her hands fisted at her sides in frustration at his pretense of misunderstanding what she was trying to say.  “Because you’re giving the world the impression that this is a love match when it is the farthest thing from it!  We will have an arranged marriage.  We don’t even like each other!”

“I like you.”  He had to fight to keep his eyes from moving down her delectable figure.  He suspected that would infuriate her even further. 

She stomped her foot at his reaction as well as the heat that had suddenly appeared in his eyes.  “You don’t even know me!”

“Isn’t that what all of this is about?” he suggested.

She glared at him before she shook her head.  “No!”  Yes!  What was her point?

“Tell me what we’re doing then?”

She wanted to pull her hair out!  Why was he being like this?  Why wasn’t he acting in an expected manner?  “We have an arranged marriage.  It is a political union!  We should be presenting ourselves to your people and the world as such!”  She’d started out in what she’d thought was a calm tone of voice but ended almost yelling at him. 

“And what should we be doing differently?” he asked.

How could he even ask that?  Wasn’t it obvious?  “No touching!  Royal couples do not touch!  They might hold hands occasionally, but they don’t touch!  They don’t caress!  They don’t do that…” she raised her hands out in front of herself and wiggled her fingers, stammering to describe what he’d done yesterday, “nibble or whatever that was last night.  They do not feed each other, they don’t…” She stopped because she didn’t want to reveal anything else to him for fear of giving him ammunition. 

“Kiss?” he suggested softly but with that deep, sexy voice.  And his eyes dropped to her lips, caressing them with his gaze.

She gasped, frozen in place for a long moment before she snapped out of it.  Her fingers were gripping the back of the chair so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.  “No!  They never kiss!  They don’t do that sort of thing!  Ever!”

“How are we to produce an heir then?” he laughed. 

She stomped her foot.  “Don’t even suggest such a thing!  You have no idea all the silly tests I was required to endure!”

His eyes snapped to hers.  “Tests?  What tests?”

She backed away.  “Don’t you dare pretend you don’t know!  Your staff required all of those tests.  I had to see several specialists to ensure my fertility!  I endured numerous exams, my weight was compared to my BMI, one doctor even suggested that I should gain five point three pounds in order to be at my optimal weight for becoming pregnant!”

A curious look entered those dark eyes and he stopped moving closer to her.  “Tell me.”  What kinds of tests could be so bad that she was embarrassed to discuss them?  His imagination immediately took a turn that he instinctively knew she wouldn’t like. 

She shook her head, her cheeks turning pink at the memories.  “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I had to live through them once.  There’s nothing you can say that will make me live through them again, even if only by telling you what I was required to do.”

He considered her words for a moment, then nodded, accepting her answer.  “And you won’t let me make it all worthwhile?”

She took a deep breath and once again tried to calm down.  His question sounded as if he were going to be reasonable about this scenario.  “You can.  By not touching me in public.  Don’t touch me, don’t do that…thing…with your eyes.  Don’t do all of that…stuff!  You’ve been doing it since we met three days ago and it…” she paused for a moment.  “It. Has. To. Stop!”  Her hand sliced through the air with each word. 

Damn, she was beautiful when she was furious like this.  Oh, and she was telling him what to do.  He loved it when she tried that.  It just got all of his predatory instincts into overdrive and all he wanted to do was lift her into his arms, carry her over to his desk so that he could lay her out and show her who was in charge in the most erotic way possible.  “And if I don’t?” he asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Layla shivered.  “Well, then…” she wasn’t sure what her ultimatum might be.  “Then I’ll just have to back out of this.  I’ll tell the press that I couldn’t be the woman you need.”

“Ah, but that would be a lie,’ he said with a silky smooth tone.

“It isn’t a lie!” she almost shouted.  “I’m not the kind of woman you think I am!  I’m not…”

His smile was so slight that, if she weren’t looking at him at that exact moment, she might have missed it.  “I’m going to prove you wrong, so be careful about whatever statement you’re about to make,” he cautioned. 

She was visibly shaking now.  “You’re not listening to me!” she snapped, losing control as he stepped closer to her.  The chair was no barrier and she hated her weakness. 

“I heard every word you said.”  He grabbed her wrist when she tried to keep the chair between them, pulling her closer.  With a flick of his hands, the chair was gone and she was plastered against his chest, one arm around her back, pressing her closer while she tried to push away from the intimacy of this embrace.  “You said no touching,” and his free hand moved up to trail a line of fire down her cheek.  “And no nibbling,” his mouth latched onto her earlobe, biting the tender flesh that no man had ever touched.  “And no caressing,” he finished off as his hand moved down her arm, lifting her hand so that it was on his shoulder while he looked down into her blue eyes that were both fearful and filling with desire.  “And no kissing.” 

She gasped, her eyes watching with terror as his head descended once again.  She shook her head, trying to tell him no but his hand moved to her hair, diving into the dark tresses and holding her head still. 

She couldn’t breathe as she waited for that moment when his mouth would touch hers.  Layla couldn’t have anticipated the wave of sensation that roared through her when the touch finally came.  It was as if a tidal wave of desire swept over her, sucking her into a need so strong, she whimpered with confusion even as her body melted against his.  The hand gripping her hair pulled her head back further so he could deepen the kiss and Layla’s hands gripped his shoulders, unaware of the embrace and only aware of this kiss, his lips as they moved over her mouth.  When his tongue slid across her lips, she almost pulled back, but his teeth nipped her lower lip and she gasped, giving him access to her mouth.  His tongue took full advantage of that slip, diving into the warm, moist heat of her mouth, mating with hers, teasing her tongue to participate in the kiss. 

Layla wasn’t sure what to do so she imitated his movements, wanting more but not sure what that more might be, or even how to ask for it.  All she knew was that this man was doing things to her that she didn’t understand but didn’t want to stop either. 

Unfortunately, he lifted his head and looked down at her.  “What were you saying?” he asked, his hands sliding up and down her back, one hand going so low, it rested against her bottom.

Layla realized what was happening, that he’d just kissed her senseless.  And she’d kissed him back! 

Jerking out of his arms, she stepped backwards, wiping the back of her hand against her mouth as if she could wipe the kiss off.  But the effects of that kiss weren’t on the outside.  They were inside where her body was still clamoring for him to kiss her again, wanting him to touch her with his hands and go to the next step. 

“How dare you!” she gasped, horrified both at him for his audacity as well as herself for her complete lack of conviction and self-discipline.  “Don’t…”

“Careful what you say Layla,” he cautioned as he moved closer to her once again.  “The last time you tried to lay down the law, you ended up in my arms.  And if you do that again, I promise that I won’t stop with just a kiss.”

Her hands moved up to cover her mouth and that action only caused amusement to appear in his eyes.  “Don’t…” she started to say, raising her hand up higher when he stepped closer again.  “I won’t…”

Layla wasn’t sure what to say or what to do.  She’d never been in this kind of a situation before.  Sure, men had stolen kisses from her over the years.  But never had they affected her like this one had!  Never had she been so lost in a kiss that she’d completely given over control.  If someone had walked in on them…!

“What if my mother had found us like that?” she demanded. 

Garon stared at her for a moment, wondering if she realized what she’d just said.  When he saw the completely serious expression in her eyes, he threw back his head and laughed. 

Layla stared at him, not quite sure what was happening.  He was laughing at her?  He thought her predicament was funny?  How dare he!

She stepped up to him, her anger rising to fury and she pounded him on the chest, letting all of her anger and this pent up frustration out as she let loose on him.  “Don’t you dare laugh at me!” she almost yelled.  “There is nothing funny about this situation!  You’re just a horrible man!”

Garon felt the jabs but she wasn’t hurting him.  Not in the least.  He suspected that his darling fiancée was actually holding back because these paltry punches were nothing compared to what he suspected she might be capable of.  But he knew that she was genuinely angry with him.  Well, not angry, but sexually frustrated. And she didn’t understand how to deal with that frustration.  He knew that she was a virgin and, beyond that, she was innocent of men.  So he didn’t take offense when she tried to hit him.  But he did wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her against him once more.  The action stopped her punches and, since his arm was pressing her whole body against his, she was suddenly aware of the affect her anger had on him.  Well, her anger, her kisses, her soft body against his…it all added up to the expected reaction.

She tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her.  His hands moved lower, his fingers spreading out onto her bottom as he pressed her more fully against his erection.  “Get used to it, Layla,” he told her, his voice gravelly.  “You’ve been doing this to me since the first moment I laid eyes on you.  It’s time you faced up to the reality of life.  You’re mine,” he told her.  “And if your mother were to walk in here and catch us kissing, or holding or even me touching you in any way, she has no authority here.  We’re already going to be married in two days.   You will be my wife and we will explore this more fully.  And I promise,” he said as his hand moved from her bottom to slide softly down her cheek, “we will be doing so much more once we are married.  And you’ll discover that this anger you’re feeling is only sexual frustration and it will go away once we…”