The Sheik's Love Child (2 page)

She didn’t know it, but her eyes were doing the same inventory and he definitely didn’t come up lacking. Every line of his body and face showed his arrogance, his absolute command and Dani was struck with the most bizarre feeling in her stomach. He was extremely tall, well over a head taller than every other man in the room. His shoulders were broad, tapering to hips that didn’t hold a bit of flab anywhere. Glancing back to his face, she noted the stern mouth, square jaw line and eyes that sharpened with interest as she continued her perusal. When she realized what she was doing, her face flushed and she glanced down at the floor, too embarrassed at being caught in such an awkward position.

Slowly, the rest of the room stood up and her view of the man was blocked. She felt a small sense of relief as if she’d been held captive by the intensity of his dark eyes. A shudder went through her and she shook her head at her fanciful notions.

Looking down, she realized that she was gripping the bottle of tonic water as if her life depended on it. The men who had been waiting on their drinks before the man’s entry turned to face the bar again and continued their conversation as if nothing of great importance had just occurred.

A few minutes later, the men all migrated towards the large table with the gorgeous man at the head. The wait staff hurried in, quickly serving the men and thankfully, the wine staff came in directly behind them and served the wine, giving Dani a chance to breathe.

It was almost two o’clock in the morning when the men finally started leaving. Dani was feeling as if she could pass out from fatigue any moment since she’d been up since five o’clock that morning and had taught a group of thirty children all day. Her feet ached and her eyes felt as if there was sandpaper in them.

“You’ve done well,” a deep voice said.

Dani glanced up and all her fatigue seemed to disappear. Here was the man and he was actually speaking to her. It was the first time all evening someone had actually spoken to her that wasn’t a drink order.

“Th…thank you,” she said nervously and dropped her eyes to the polished wooden bar. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked politely.

“Only if you’ll join me,” he replied.

Dani’s eyes shot right back to his. “Oh, well…no, I’m sorry but I can’t,” she explained.

“Of course you can,” he countered. “Just pour yourself a glass and come around to the other side,” he said and added a devastating smile to his words.

Dani’s stomach started that flipping fluttering thing again, making her feel slightly queasy. “No…I mean, thank you very much for the offer but it is against the rules,” she said. “But I would be more than happy to serve you anything you’d like.”

After a long moment, the man replied, “And if it is you I would like? Would you serve me?”

Dani actually took a step backwards and gasped. “Excuse me?” she demanded.

The man smiled. “I’m guessing that you are not being offered as dessert,” he replied. “I apologize if I’ve offended you. But please, come have a glass of wine. You look like you are exhausted. I guarantee you will not be fired.”

Dani shook her head. “No, thank you,” she replied stiffly.

The man didn’t take offense at her cool tone but stood up and actually came around to the back of the bar.

“Sit,” he ordered and Dani was shocked to find herself obeying his order. She plunked herself down on the bar stool and glared at him. The effort only caused him to chuckle and the sound soothed her ruffled feathers more than his apology. “Again, I apologize for offending you.” He poured a glass of white wine and placed it in front of her before turning to pour some bourbon into a glass for himself. When he was done, he came around to the other side and sat down in the bar stool next to her. They were the only ones left except for the guards who she noticed were standing sentry right outside the double doors that stood slightly ajar.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Danielle,” she said. “And yours?”

The man looked surprised but only smiled slightly. “You may call me Kalil,” he said and his dark eyes looked directly into her blue ones. “I’m surprised your husband would allow you to work this late.”

Dani laughed. “After I’m married, I don’t think I’d allow my husband to allow me to do anything,” she said, taking a sip of the excellent white wine, allowing the cold liquid to slide easily down her throat.

“So you are not married?” he said, looking surprised by that announcement. “That seems hard to believe.”

“Well, I’m almost engaged,” she said and looked down at her glass, unable to hold his gaze.

There was a long pause. “You’re boyfriend is not worthy of you,” he replied.

Dani flushed. “Mark is a very nice man,” she countered.

Kalil just laughed softly. “Any woman who describes her almost fiancé as ‘nice’ is not in love with him.”

Dani’s eyes shot up to him. “What do you know of love?” she challenged. “I’m sure you imagine your wife sitting at home, counting the minutes until you arrive to enliven her life with your presence but some of us have our own lives and live it just fine,”

Kalil smiled at her description. “As yet, I am not married either. But I hope the woman I choose to marry will indeed love me to the point of counting the minutes until I arrive at her side.”

“Are you going to do the same?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it is different for a man,” he replied, amused by her challenge.

“It is different for you, perhaps. But the man I marry will be so in love with me that he will be counting the minutes when I’m away,’ she said.

“And does your Mark?” he asked, “count the minutes, that is, until he sees you?”

Dani just glared at him. She couldn’t lie because she knew that Mark was out with his friends tonight playing cards. He was probably still up doing just that and not thinking of her.

Kalil laughed again. “You see? It is different for a man. But perhaps he is not the love of your life?”

“How dare you say that?” she said, but the heat was gone from her voice.

“I dare,” he said and his hand moved to touch her forearm.

Dani’s indrawn breath was audible and her shocked eyes shot back to his, her arm moving quickly away from his touch but her face flamed to color. It was as if an electric current was shooting through her system, melting her insides and burning her skin.

The moment was broken by one of the guards leaning into the room and saying something quickly in Arabic. Kalil responded and sighed. “I’m sorry my dear but I must take this phone call. We’ll continue this discussion when I return,” he said and stood up, walking out of the room with the determined stride of someone who had been in charge for a long time.

Dani was so shaken by his touch, she was almost shivering. Wait for him to come back? She thought not! Dani jumped off of the bar stool and ran out of the room as if she was being chased by demons. She made her way through the kitchens, grabbed her purse from her locker and left by the back way.

It was cold now and the sky was starting to drizzle cold and dreary rain. Dani pulled her collar up on her jacket and started walking towards the subway station. She hated herself for reacting so violently towards a man she’d known for only a half hour. How could she have let him get to her so easily? Kalil – whoever he was – somehow knew her buttons but she’d escaped. She’d get back home, soak in a warm shower and snuggle under her blankets. First thing in the morning, she’d called Mark and meet him for breakfast. She’d sit across from him and be reminded of all the wonderful attributes she loved about him and that would reassure herself of her life’s plan. Everything would be okay.

Headlights shined from behind her but she simply pulled her jacket more securely around her, walking closer to the buildings for safety. She hated being out here this late at night but she didn’t have a car so there was no alternative.

Her heartbeat raced when the car stopped beside her but she refused to even acknowledge the car. News stories of women being abducted from the streets by passing cars raced through her mind and she sped up her walking. The subway stop was still a block away and she felt her body break out in a cold sweat as fear took over.

“Danielle,” a deep voice said from behind her.

Dani visibly jumped at hearing her name. She stopped and looked around, then saw the long, dark, elegant limousine waiting beside the curb.

“Danielle, get into the car please,” a deep voice said from the dark interior of the car.

A man stepped out of the front seat passenger side and held open the door for her. Dani hesitated, still terrified but for a whole other reason now.

“No, thank you,” she said and turned away to start walking again.

She’d only made it a few steps when a strong hand clamped around her elbow. “Danielle, you shouldn’t be out here this late at night. It is dangerous,” Kalil said and pulled her gently but firmly towards the waiting car. “I will drive you home,” he said and followed her into the car.

The door shut as soon as she sat down and Dani looked around, never having been inside a limousine before.

“Relax,” Kalil said and pressed a button that separated the driver’s area from the passenger seating. “Why did you run away like that?” he demanded.

Dani sat back, knowing she couldn’t get away from him now that the car was moving. “I considered the conversation over.”

“And I said we’d continue it when I was off the phone,” Kalil countered. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face but he looked over at the tiny woman who had challenged him and his authority ever since he’d walked into the dining room tonight.

It had been a productive evening and he wanted to spend the rest of the night making love to this shy woman sitting so stiffly across from him. But he had to put her at ease before he could do anything, he knew.

She didn’t even know the liberties he’d allowed her. No woman, much less a man, had ever had the audacity to challenge him like this slip of a woman had. Why had he allowed it? Deep down, he knew exactly why. And he longed to test his theory again. That one single touch, so brief, had flamed him as no other woman had ever done before.

He suspected that she didn’t even know what a beauty she was. Her reddish brown hair was primly pulled behind her head, showing off her delicate features which were dominated by her sexy eyes that promised so much to anyone looking deep enough. And he was definitely going to search.

“How old are you, Dani?” he asked suddenly.

“Twenty five,” she said, grateful for the easy questions. “And you?”

“And me what?”

“How old are you?”

Kalil smiled again. “Do you know how impertinent you’re being?”

“No. You asked me a question. I was just asking it right back.”

“As I said earlier, it is different for a man. For me.”

Dani smiled and Kalil held his breath as her cheeks dimpled deeply. “You’re a bit arrogant, aren’t you? You’re going to have to explain why it is impertinent for me to ask a question but not for you to ask it.”

“I’m going to have to?” he asked, still shocked that she would dare order him. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Dani shook her head and a small lock of hair fell onto her face. “No,” she said as she reached behind her to pull the pins from her hair. “But I’m guessing you’re awfully wealthy and that’s what makes you think you can order people around.”

Kalil didn’t tell her who he was. He liked the fact that she wasn’t intimidated by him. It was a novel feeling. “Believe it or not, I can order people around.”

“I’m sure whatever company you work for, or probably own, you can order anyone about. But I don’t work for you. Nor will I ever so let’s just drop that subject, shall we? About your age?”

Kalil didn’t explain that with a snap of his fingers, he could have her fired from whatever position she currently held no matter where she worked. Being the crown prince to one of the wealthiest countries in the world gave him enormous power, no matter where he was in the world.

“I am thirty six years old,” he responded, not sure why. “Why are you so tired?” he asked, noting the dark circles under her beautiful eyes.

“Because I teach school during the day. That means I’ve been up since early this morning and it is almost dawn.” She looked down at her watch and gasped at the time. “I’ve basically been up for twenty four hours now.” She looked out the window and noticed that they were almost to her flat. “How did you know where I live?” she asked.

Kalil didn’t answer her but leaned forward and took a lock of her hair between his fingers. “Lovely,” he said, rubbing the silky strands between his fingers. “Why do you wear it up like that?”

Dani could barely think with his fingers so close to her face. “I….I just…” she couldn’t answer. Thankfully, the car slid smoothly to a stop and she pulled away from his hand.

She scrambled out of the car, frantically searching for her keys. As much as she’d like to run away, years of manners forced her to turn around and thank him for the ride home.

“I’d…oomph!” she said, running into his large, powerful chest. “What are you doing?” she asked, taking a step back on the sidewalk.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said.