A Bride For The Sheikh by Katheryn Lane Read Free Book Online Page A

to be quite as easy as he first thought. However, the longer he looked at her, the more he desperately wanted her. He peeled his eyes away from her to the cool, blue water of the swimming pool.
    “It’s hot, though I guess you’re used to it,” she said. “Are you getting in with me?”
    “Getting in?” Rashid’s mind conjured up images of king-sized beds with Angelina between the satin sheets.
    “In the pool, though you’ll need to get changed.”
    “I didn’t bring my stuff.”
    “So why are you here?”
    Rashid didn’t know what to say. Should he just come out with it and tell her that he wanted to marry her? However, his few years studying in Oxford meant that he knew that a woman like this would either laugh at him, or worse, reject him. He then had an inspiration. “I came to see if you’d like to play tennis with me.”
    “Tennis? Why not? When?”
    “Now. This afternoon, I mean. I’ll get my stuff and come back in a half an hour. I’m sure this compound has a tennis court; most of them do.”
    “Isn’t it a bit hot?”
    “I’m sure it’s air conditioned. They all are here.”
    “Air-conditioned tennis courts and chilled swimming pools—this country is bizarre.”
    “In this country, anything is possible.”
    “That’s just what my dad said. See you in a bit.” She stood, wrapped a towel around her perfect body and waved goodbye.
    Rashid drove back to his palace, breaking several speed limits, and returned in a perfect set of whites in less than twenty-five minutes, ready for the game to begin.
     

Chapter 8
     
    “You’re not a bad player,” Angelina said after she’d won all four games against Rashid.
    “You’re only saying that to make me feel better. I’d win a few of the games, if your gorgeous legs didn’t keep on distracting me.”
    Angelina blushed as she bent down to pick up a tennis ball. Rashid had been throwing compliments at her all afternoon and she didn’t quite know what to make of it. Part of her felt a little overwhelmed by his charm, but part of her was excited to have a man like Rashid paying her so much attention. He was extremely handsome in a dark, exotic kind of way and the way he looked at her with his large brown eyes made her heart spin. He was coming onto her big time, but a part of Angelina didn’t care. She’d worked so hard for so many years, first at school and then at college, that she hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of having a boyfriend; they took up too much time, both physically and emotionally. However, she was on holiday and had earned a well-deserved break from studying. When she got back to England and entered law school, it would be back to the books with time for little else other than a part-time job, eating, and sleeping. Therefore, Angelina decided to enjoy Rashid’s attentions and as the afternoon progressed, she did little to discourage him.
    “You’ve worn me out. Why don’t we get something to drink?” she asked at the end of the fifth game, which she only just won. “Do you live nearby?”
    “It’s a bit of a drive.”
    It didn’t occur to Angelina that the compound was only open to residents and she didn’t know that any guests had to be signed in. Therefore, it didn’t strike her as odd that Rashid was there. “I live just around the corner, in the villa near the main gate. We could go back to my house if you want.”
    “I’d love to.”
    Angelina’s villa was only a short walk away from the tennis courts, but the heat outside was so unbearable that they took Rashid’s car. She couldn’t help but notice that he drove an extremely expensive vehicle, but almost everyone in the country seemed to have a flash car, so all she said was, “Very nice. I’ve always wanted a Mercedes.”
    “I’ll get you one.”
    Angelina laughed. “Thanks. How about a silver one?”
    “Consider it done,” Rashid replied, following her into the house.
    “Sorry it’s a bit bare. It’s not actually my house. It’s my