The Sheik's Reluctant Lover by Elizabeth Lennox Read Free Book Online

.  You’re being silly because I can do the work just as easily as he can.”
    “Enough,” he snapped and pulled her along to one of the recently cleaned stalls.  He pulled her inside and slammed the door.  At least he released her hand and she rubbed the skin where he’d held her wrist while he paced back and forth in the small confines of the stall, running his hand over his face and hair.  “You won’t be doing that kind of work Rachel.  Don’t ever let me catch you doing that again.”
    She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her stomach.  “Why shouldn’t I?  I’m no better than they are.”
    “You are….” He stopped, his black eyes looking down at her accusingly before he said, “you!”
    She laughed softly at his reply.  “Well, I’m certainly glad we cleared that up.”
    He sighed heavily and came over to her.  Putting an arm on either side of her head, he bent down low.  “Rachel, you and I are going to….” He stopped and shook his head.  “You just can’t do that kind of work.  I won’t allow it.”
    She rolled her eyes, trying to pretend that she wasn’t nervous with him this close.  “ Rais , I need to go.”
    He looked down at her lips and she panicked.  She certainly didn’t want a repeat of their embrace by the creek.  So in order to avoid that, to avoid kissing him like she wanted to do, to feel his lips move against hers once again, she quickly ducked and stepped out of his embrace.  It was only because the move was so unexpected that it actually worked. 
    She skipped over to the opposite side of the stall and smiled over at him. “ Rais , this has to stop.”
    “What does?” he asked, stalking her slowly, but not relenting.
    Rachel looked at the shrinking distance between them , then towards the door.  “This… kissing me and doing things to me.”
    “You’re an active participant, Rachel.  I just initiate the…pleasantries.  You help me continue.”
    “I do not!” she gasped.
    He smiled briefly at her vehemence.  “Come closer and tell me that.”
    He took two more steps and she kept calculating the distance between them. Rachel shook her head. “I think I’m safer over here,” she countered.   She glanced towards the door one more time.
    He knew what she was thinking and stopped her with a simple statement.  “You won’t make it so don’t even try,” he said with that deep, sexy voice.
    She was smiling and didn’t even realize it.  Rais in this kind of mood was different, somehow flirtatious and she had to ignore that voice in her head that told her to just rush into his arms and throw herself at him.  Instead, she said, “You don’t understand the depth of my desperation.  It makes people do crazy things.”
    “And I believe that could be said right back at you my dear.  I’ve felt you in my arms a few too many times today.  I want to finish what we’ve started.”
    “Here?  In the stables?” she asked, both horrified and amused.
    Rais stopped and looked around.  He had indeed forgotten where they were, his mind completely absorbed in trying to get this woman to give in to the things he knew she wanted from him.  Things he was more than willing to do with her if she’d just stop this silly pretense that she wasn’t interested. 
    While he was distracted, she took the chance and darted around him.  She actually yelped in laughter when he reached out.  Thankfully, he missed her by mere centimeters and she was able to dart out of the stall.  She didn’t stop there but continued out of the stables, wanting to find a place where there were more people to keep her safe from his hands.  And everything else about him.   Just looking at the man, which she did as she turned the corner and caught him watching her as she hurried away, made her heart skip a beat.  
    She walked out into the bright, autumn sunshine.  She took her sunglasses off of the top of her head and slipped them over her eyes as she walked to