The Sheik Who Loved Me by Loreth Anne White Read Free Book Online Page A

walls. She leaned even further out the window, searching for the rider. Then she saw him.
    He came around the far wing of the castle and headed at breakneck pace across the sandy ridge on a huge and powerful white stallion. Her stomach muscles tightened automatically at the sight. David and the horse formed a dark and powerful silhouette against the glare of the sea. He rode with a fierce and reckless abandon. Bareback. Like a wild desert warrior born with the beast between his legs.
    He and the creature on which he was mounted looked as untamed and dangerous as the Sahara itself.
    How did she know that? Had she been to the Sahara? Her hands tensed on the thick stone windowsill.
    As he reached the edge of the ridge, his horse reared up, hooves pawing the air. Her breath caught in her throat. But he moved naturally with the stallion, steadying him effortlessly. Then he reined in the horse and headed down the ridge. She could see the sheen of exertion glisten on the animal’s white flanks and the blue-black glint of the sun on David’s hair. Even from this distance she could see the powerful strength in the man’s coffee-skinned forearms.
    He kicked his horse into a gallop and she could feel the rapid, rhythmic pounding of the hooves echo right through her chest as he disappeared down the far edge of the ridge and headed into the hills that sloped toward the sea.
    She tried to lean even farther out the window in an effort to catch one last glimpse. But he was gone. And she felt a small and inexplicable slip in her gut.
    She stepped back into the cool of the room, suddenly aware of her quickened pace of breathing, the heightened rate of her pulse. Who was this man? She forced her brain to think. He said he headed up a company, Rashid International. A sinister sensation crept up the back of her neck. Maybe she had a role to play, something to do with him and with his company. Something subversive. She could sense it in the murky shadows of her mind. Fear began to edge in.
    She tried to swallow, to fight down the fright demons. She couldn’t allow fear to take over. She had no one in the world to turn to right now. She had to get a grip on herself. She had only herself.
    The door banged open behind her.
    Instantly she spun around.
    But it was only Kamilah, a shy grin on her little face, her arms piled high with silky garments.
    With shock, Sahar realized her hands were raised in front of her, her legs tensed for a kick, her whole body, every muscle, was primed to attack this child. Shaken by her instinctive aggression, she pressed her hands firmly down to her sides and forced a smile. “Kamilah, you startled me.”
    Kamilah entered the room and began to lay her armload of garments out on the bed. Sahar forced herself to relax. She moved over to the bed and fingered the sheer, exotic textures. “These are beautiful, Kamilah, where did you get them?”
    Kamilah looked down at her feet. “They’re my mother’s,” she said softly.
    Sahar froze. “Oh, Kamilah, I couldn’t possibly wear your mother’s clothes.”
    Kamilah’s big brown eyes lifted slowly up. Sahar could read the hurt in them. She crouched down to the child’s height. “Kamilah,” she said. “It’s not because I don’t like them. I think they’re the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen. But I’m not sure your father would be happy if he saw me wearing these clothes. And I really wouldn’t want to upset anybody.”
    Kamilah’s bottom lip trembled slightly. Sahar was at a loss. The poor child seemed to desperately need this. She sighed. “Okay, how about I just try one dress on, then?”
    Kamilah’s face lit up. She immediately reached for a silky green dress and held the garment out to her.
    Sahar took it from the child. “You think it’ll fit me?”
    Kamilah nodded.
    Sahar held the fabric against her face and turned toward the mirror. Kamilah had made a fine choice. The jade-green silk picked up the dark flecks in her eyes. She moved closer