The Sheik's Reluctant Lover (2 page)

“Too busy to
swing by once in a while to
say hello to an old friend?”

She stopped and froze, wondering how to respond. 
She looked up at him, then away once again, too nervous to hold that contact with his too-knowing gaze. 
“Well, I know it’s not
very far
but, well, you know how traffic is around here.  It’s hard to get out this way.  And I don’t have…
well,
I can’t really take time off very often.”

He moved closer, putting a hand on her shoulder
to stop her frantic movements
.  “You’re nervous.  Why?”

She actually jumped and took a step backwards.  “I’m not nervous,” she
countered but couldn’t look him
in the eye.  She took a deep breath to try and steady
herself
.  When she felt like she had a bit more control, s
he said, “Why are you here?”  She looked at his firm chin or his broad shoulders, the middle of his fabulously muscular chest…anywhere but into his eyes. 

He put his hands back in his slacks and looked down at her. 
Rais
couldn’t believe the beauty she’d grown into.  He’d
suspected she would be like this
as he’d
watched
her
grow up
and knew that she would be beautiful. 
But the woman standing in front of him was stunning.  She had a cool sophistication that was startling with a sensuality that was soft and seductive instead of being blatant. 
Her long, black hair looked like a silk wave as it cascaded down her shoulders and her pretty blue eyes revealed so much, but also hid everything he wanted to know. 
“Why have you been avoiding me?” he countered
in a low voice so her father wouldn’t hear them in the kitchen
.

He’d wanted her for so long, he couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t ached to hold her in his arms. 
Ever since she’d turned sixteen, his feelings for Rachel had changed from brotherly affection and interest to something much stronger, significantly deeper. 
And the older she got, the more intense that feeling had become. 
Suddenly, six years ago she’d simply stopped coming out to h
is
farm to visit her father, his lead trainer, and he’d missed her
almost painfully
. 
There had been times when he’d been furious that she wasn’t here for him
so he could
o feast on her glorious beauty
or just revel in her laughter and smile.  T
hen there were other times when he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to find another woman to ease the ache she always left in him
after he saw her or spoke with her
because she was too young
. 

But she was older now.  She wasn’t a teenager with soulful eyes that laughed at his dry humor or teased him about his arrogance.  She wouldn’t be racing ahead of him on her horse, her long, slender legs holding onto her horse and her bottom bouncing
on her saddle, giving his mind images that were inappropriate and leaving him hard and aching. 

Every year she’d grown more beautiful and more interesting.  Each visit had left him with a
n
ache, a desire to be with her more often which he’d had to fight with every fiber in his being.  When she’d turned eighteen, it had been the hardest because she’d continued to grow into that figure that
h
ad him dreaming about holding her in his arms
.  He couldn’t count the number of times he’d w
o
ken
up in a sweat because he wanted her so desperately. 

As he looked down into those blue eyes, he reveled in the fact that she was
now
old enough for his pursuit.  And he would have her.  She might resist at first, but it would be just out of habit. 
He would show her that he wanted more from her and they could explore this attraction he knew they both shared. 

Yes, Rachel would be in his bed and they could expand the friendship they used to have so that it was more, deeper. 

He stepped closer, his nose filling up with her soft, feminine scent.  “I’d like…”

“Dinner is ready,” her father called out
from the kitchen, interrupting whatever it was that
Rais
was about to say
. 

Rachel blinked, looking around
as if
s
he’d forgotten where they were
.  He’d been about to touch her, his hand reaching out, his fingers so close to her cheek that she’d almost felt his fingers against her
skin even now
.  She took a deep breath and stepped around
Rais
, moving on unsteady feet towards the kitchen.  “Well…thank you for stopping by…”

“You’re father invited me for dinner,” he
interrupted,
amused that she was trying to get rid of him.  Interesting, he thought to
himself.  She was nervous, he reali
zed. 
Nervous about being near him.
  He’d been around women enough to know that her trembling meant she was just as interested in him
.  That and the way she’d looked into his eyes, the soft blush that had bloomed on her cheeks when she’d first seen him. 

His grown up Rachel was showing all the signs
and he had a hard time hiding the reaction his body was having to her attraction for him.  He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, feel her against him and show her that everything would be okay, that she didn’t need to be nervous around him.  But her father’s interruption slowed him down, gave him time to step back and enjoy this delicious tension between the two of them. 

“He invited you for dinner?” she asked.  She looked over at her father, wondering why he would do something like that. 
If he knew how she felt, why had he cornered her like this? 

But how could he have avoided
issuing
the
initiation
?  If
Rais
had shown up unexpectedly, Rachel knew there was no way her father could avoid inviting
Rais
in for a meal.  It wasn’t just that
Rais
was her father’s employer.  They were friends who respected each other.  Rachel knew that they often dined together when she wasn’t here, talking about the horses and the farm, not to mention playing chess together often when
Rais
wasn’t entertaining the elite of Washington and Virginia society at the main house. 

She sat down at the table, taking her napkin and placing it over her lap.  Her mind just couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that her father, the man who knew how she felt about
Rais
, had even conspired with her to avoid him so assiduously for the past six years, had violated her trust like this and invited the enemy to dinner. 

Rais
and John discussed the various horses in the stables over dinner while Rachel pushed the food around on her plate, too nervous to actually eat anything.  The tiny table barely had enough room for two people so adding a third person, and especially one as large as
Rais
, made the confines beyond cozy.  She kept shifting her legs, trying to avoid touching his, but he would just move his legs right back so that they were touching again.  It was frustrating and her stomach clenched each time she felt his leg or his thigh against hers.  She pretended like it didn’t matter, but by the end of the meal, she was jumpy and irritated with herself for letting things get like this. 

“You two go on out to the family room and I’ll clean up,” her father said, picking up the plates and heading towards the sink.

“
No way,” she said adamantly.  “
Dad, you cooked dinner so I’ll clean up.  It’s obvious that you and
Rais
have lots to talk about so I’ll
do the dishes
,” she countered, starting to take the dishes out of his hands but he just pulled them out of her reach and shook his head. 

He
couldn’t look at her as cleared the table, chuckling softly at her feeble attempt
. 
“We’ve been talking all through dinner.  You two go out there and catch up and I’ll just finish
the dishes
in here.”

Again?
  Why was her father doing this to her?  “I’d better be heading back to town,” she said instead. 

“But you haven’t even seen the beauties,” her father countered
, looking over his shoulder at her with a worried expression
.  “
Besides, I thought you were staying overnight.  Didn’t you bring your bag with a change of clothes?  If not, you know there are plenty of clothes still here for you. 
Rais
, how about if you take her out to
the stables
see them?  They’re yours anyway.”  He turned back to Rachel with a huge grin on his face.  “You’re going to love these guys, Rachel.  I’ve never seen anything quite like them in my life, and that’s saying a lot.”

Rachel
knew he was discussing some new horses
Rais
had recently purchased
, but the very last thing she wanted to do was go out to the stables in the dark with
Rais
.  “That’s okay…”

“Nonsense,”
Rais
argued
, stepping in quickly as he suspected she was too nervous to be alone with him
.  “Go change clothes.  You can’t go into the stables like that.”

Rachel felt like her whole body was on fire when his eyes traveled down her figure, looking at the lavender straight skirt and cotton shirt she’d
donned this morning.  She was even wearing matching lavender shoes which had felt so special earlier in the day, but now she just felt dumpy knowing that the women he normally associated with could afford much better, more expensive clothes.  Outfits that didn’t
droop
by the end of the day
as this one was doing
. 

Rachel bit her lip in indecision.  She wanted to see what
were obviously new horses
, but she didn’t want to be alone with
Rais
.  She’d seen him in action too many times over the years, spying on him from the loft in the stables or from the rose garden, from an empty stall or in various places where she could see him with his lady loves
.  She’d always admired
the way he
would move
in closer, stealing a kiss that would
eventually
lead to more
with his expert seduction
. 
Sometimes much more.
 

“I…” she was stumped.  “It can wait.”

He moved in closer
, unwilling to give her a reprieve
.  “Are you afraid to be alone with me?” he asked
gently, forcing her eyes to look into his and reading that fear, that anticipation
. 

She couldn’t speak for a long moment
, too stunned to hear him ask such a blatant question
.  She
sputtered, trying to jump start her brain and give him a firm set down, or just a flip response.  Unfortunately, nothing came to mind and her only defense was to step
around him and
shake
her head
in denial
.  “
Rais
, I’m really tired.  I think I’ll pass tonight.”

He wouldn’t take no for an answer. 
“If you won’t change clothes, you’ll just have to go out like that,” he said, ignoring her comment about passing
on
the sights and taking her hand in his, dragging her out into the darkness and closing the door behind them. 

As the night
air
closed around them, he slowed down and pulled her closer, tucking her arm into his.  “See?  This isn’t so bad,” he said and smiled down into her nervous
eyes
. 

Rachel tried to pull her hand off of his arm, but he held it in place and kept on walking.  “You look beautiful in
that color, by the way,” he commented
. 

Rachel tried to ignore the coziness of the atmosphere, the
intimacy of the
darkness
which made
everything else fade
in
to the background.  “Thank you,” she said, clearing her throat and pretending to look around.  “What are you going to show me
?
”

“Some new horses I think you’ll like.”

Rachel loved horses, loved riding and just being around the strong, gentle creatures.  “Why are they so special?” she asked, bec
oming interested despite her nervousness and irritation with his commanding attitude
. 

He opened the heavy door to the stables and they were immediately enveloped into the warmer, more humid air that kept the horses comfortable
during the colder autumn and winter months
.  “You’ll see,” he said with a mysterious smile.