The Sheikh's Impatient Virgin by Kim Lawrence Read Free Book Online Page A

and say something he might regret…even though it would make him feel a lot better in the short term!
    The idea that anyone thought they knew what was best for him did not sit well at any time with Karim, but the knowledge that this particular piece of monumental interference was going to have dire consequences only increased his level of outrage.
    If it had been anyone else but Tariq who had been watching his back since he was a child, anyone else but Tariq who clearly already was consumed with guilt…
    He closed his eyes and, lifting the phone, reminded himself that it was weakness to yell at someone who was not in a position to yell back.
    ‘That was very resourceful of you.’
    ‘Of course I will formally submit my resignation and in the meantime—’
    Karim, his tone brisk and impatient, cut across the stilted speech. ‘In the meantime, Tariq, you will send a car to flat 11 A Church Mansions, and if you drug me again we will definitely fall out…’
    There was a pause before he heard a fervent, ‘Yes, Prince Karim.’
    How could he punish a man who always had his best interest at heart, a man who offered him unswerving loyalty? ‘Is Amira awake yet…?’
    ‘No…no…she is still asleep. Church Mansions…is that not the address of King Hassan’s gran—?’
    ‘Yes, it is. You, Tariq, can be the first to congratulate me, and if King Hassan tries to contact me before I return send him my compliments and tell him I will speak to him personally at the first opportunity.’
    He was sliding his phone back into his pocket when the sound of voices in the hallway that had been a constant background noise stopped. Into the ensuing silence he heard a distinctive click as the door closed.
    Karim sensed rather than heard her enter the room. He could feel her eyes on him but did not immediately turn his head. When he did she froze in the act of taking a step towards him, uncertainty reflected in her emerald-green eyes. For a moment her eyes held his, then her eyes and her half-outstretched hand fell in unison.
    Karim turned his gaze from her burnished head, conscious as he did so of the rage and hunger so deeply entwined when he looked at her that attempting to separate the emotions was pointless.
    ‘Luke’s gone.’ And to her annoyance he hadn’t believed a word she’d said.
    Oh, well, there was a silver lining at least. Now Luke was not going to be spreading stories about her alleged virginity—any sniggers were going to be about one-night stands, which was, as it happened, marginally less embarrassing.
    Karim’s cold expression hid the anger he struggled to contain as he retrieved his jacket from the back of a chair.
    ‘I have somewhere I need to be. I’m late. We will discuss this situation later.’
    The man could multitask, Eva thought, clasping her hands protectively across her chest. He could shrug on his jacket and simultaneously send her a look that most people reserved for something nasty on their shoe.
    She was bemused by his attitude and found being viewed with such acute distaste not pleasant, though for all she knew, this might be his normal expression. While she hadn’t expected thanks for not throwing him out the previous evening, a little civility would not, in her opinion, have been out of place.
    ‘There’s nothing much to discuss, is there?’
    In the act of fastening the middle button on his jacket he paused and, one brow raised, shot her a look that brimmed with icy incredulity.
    Puzzled by his inexplicable hostility, she shrugged and said,‘Well, there isn’t.’ For all she knew this might be the norm for him, which had to make him a positive delight to be around.
    ‘Drop the innocent act.’
    The terse advice made her blink owlishly up at him. As she did she was conscious where his gaze was levelled. The slow burning blush began like a prickle under her skin and worked its way out until her body was suffused by a rosy glow as she pulled her flapping robe across her chest and belted