AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You are unusually annoying. And I don’t find you at all attractive,” she retorted breathlessly, wondering bleakly if Amar’a was one of those Middle Eastern principalities where the death sentence was still in effect. She threw up a silent prayer of thanks that they were still in the ocean off the coast of Greece, and that he had no real legal power over her.
She’d anticipated anger, but instead, his lips tilted into a sexy smile. It was almost her undoing, but she closed her eyes and brought her sister’s face to her mind. The last time she’d seen Cass, she’d been miserable. Characteristically stunning despite her suffering, but totally, obviously heartbroken. And it was all this man’s fault.
“Please, whatever you do, don’t touch me,” she said, and she underscored her words by stepping back, out of his reach. The palm that had been curved around her cheek dropped to his side. She didn’t acknowledge the way her insides immediately clenched painfully at the removal of his physical contact.
He was hardly the bachelor the press made out, but he was experienced enough with women, and he hadn’t ever known a member of the opposite sex to reject his advances. Particularly not with such an obvious level of antipathy.
“You do not like me to touch you?” He asked silkily, watching the way her cheeks bloomed with pretty color and feeling an answering tension in his jeans.
She lowered her eyes to her feet. “No.”
“Little liar.” His chuckle was low, and it sent sharp arrows of heat through her body.
What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Tell him!
“You disgust me,” she said, lifting her head and boring into him with eyes that were clouded with emotional intensity. “You think women are your own personal play thing. Well, we aren’t! You don’t get to touch me, just because you’ve decided on a whim that you want me.”
“Emma, you want me too, unless I’m very much mistaken; which I rarely am.”
She closed her eyes. There was no sense lying to him. “Physical attraction is one body’s unconscious reaction to another. It’s all chemical. We have brains to give us the ability to control those impulses.”
His eyes flared with grudging appreciation. How often had he expressed that sentiment to his brother Mansour? “My brain is not listening to common sense now.”
And he leaned forward and took possession of her lips. Briefly, he wondered what the hell had got into him. She was a young woman in his employ. He knew nothing about her, except that she’d tormented his dreams from the first time he’d seen her. As his lips savored the feeling of hers, he knew he’d been wanting this. She was sweet and warm, and he felt the way her body immediately softened, pliant against the hard planes of his. Her hands came up to wind around hi
s neck and he growled low in his throat. “Emma, you are… heaven…”
He felt her freeze in his arms. “No!” She was almost screaming. She pushed him away. It was not a hard push but her vehement rejection had caught him off balance, so he stepped backwards, watching the way she was shaking, like a leaf. “How dare you! How dare you of all people!”
“And who, pray tell, am I, of all people?” He was immediately in control of his emotions and she hated him even more for it.
“You are the man who left my sister, heartbroken and alone, before she could tell you that she’s pregnant! You disgust me!”
CHAPTER TWO
Rafiq froze. He was rarely surprised, but this woman had totally managed to knock him sideways. He knew it couldn’t be possible, and yet, he had no doubt the fiery red head in front of him believed it completely.
“Who is your sister?” He asked, a kernel of worry already lodged in his chest.
“Cassandra,” she hissed angrily. “Or do you sleep with so many women that you can’t even remember their names?”
The name meant nothing to him, and it must have showed in his face, because he could see suddenly that Emma was about to slap him. He put a hand up and easily caught her wrist in his, and wrapped it around her back, bringing her body sharply back into contact with his. He was right, he thought distractedly. Their eyes clashed and all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her again. It was so out of character that he released her immediately, and put some much needed distance between them.
“Show me your sister,” his voice was imperious and haughty, no sign of heat nor passion.
“Show you my sister?” She repeated, rubbing her inner wrist where his fingers had touched, as if to erase the feelings he evoked.
“Yes. I presume you have a mobile phone or something with a photograph?”
“Are you actually pig-headed enough to admit you don’t know who she is?”
He spoke slowly, as if she were incredibly slow witted. “Show. Me. A. Photograph.”
With a glare that spoke volumes, she fished her phone from her pocket and opened the photo album. There were a thousand to choose from. They might look like chalk and cheese, but they had always been best friends. “Here,” she thrust the device at him, a hand on her hip, a scowl on her face.
In other circumstances, he might have been amused by the show of defiance. It was certainly a novelty for him to be treated with anything other than complete respect and deference. He turned his attention to the photo she had selected and something clicked in the back of his brain. Cassandra. Yes, it was coming back to him now.
He raised his eyes to the woman in front of him, a small frown on his lips. He didn’t like being caught on the back foot.
